Nobility
by Dieuwtjin
Summary: An honest attempt at writing an enjoyable story based around a background reversal between Yuri and Estelle. Contains 99.9% original dialogue and scenes, plenty of adventure and humor, a healthy dose of romance, and... Flynn dressed up as a strawberry?
1. Out of Place

**Introduction**:

Hello everyone, and welcome to my second story! As tales of vesperia was recently released in Europe, I was finally able to play it… and I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far.

To celebrate, I decided to start a story about a background reversal between Yuri and Estelle. I know that a few (somewhat) similar stories already exist, however, from reading some of them, I concluded that they generally tend to almost carbon copy the game script with very few alterations on the actual scenes or story development.

My goal is to be different in this regard; I want an alteration that big to have a meaningful effect on the way things turn out (and realistically, they have to, as Yuri's and Estelle's different personalities will cause changes in the way they react to situations, changes in their respective goals, and thus changes in the main storyline).

Whenever possible, I do not use any dialogue or situations directly from the game, meaning that almost everything you will read here is original text. If I'm forced to use the same situations, I'll have the party deal with it in a different way. In particular, i try to deviate from the main storyline when i can, to avoid a reader reading something he or she has already seen.

Of course, there will be lots of additional scenes and character interactions. The more original content, the better, right?

Well, enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia.**

**_Nobility, chapter 1: Out of Place_**

Finally… there was the sound of the baby crying. To Estelle, it wasn't a moment too soon; she had reached her limit. She allowed herself to slightly relax as she gradually became aware of the rest of the world again. The feeling of exhaustion was overwhelming, but she did her best to ignore it. There were much more important things to do than to rest…

The baby…

"…It's a boy!"

She slowly opened her eyes and forced herself to turn to the direction of the voice. Tom had wrapped a blanket around the newborn and was holding him close to Denise, so that she could see him as well. Denise, Estelle's good friend, shared Tom's look of absolute happiness despite her obvious fatigue. In their bliss, they had momentarily forgotten about the young healer and her assistant that had helped Denise through this very tiring delivery.

However, as Estelle watched the happy couple from the side, she felt nothing but happiness for them. How could she feel anything else? It wasn't every day that one of your oldest friends became a mother… or that any person became a parent, for that matter.

Regardless, she would have to interrupt their not too private moment together, as she still had to examine the baby. During the delivery, he had gotten stuck inside the birth canal, and as such a situation was very dangerous to both the infant and the mother, Estelle had immediately resorted to using her magic abilities. She had tried to prevent any damage done to the child while at the same time orchestrating the muscle contractions to counter it's dangerous position inside the womb.

Needless to say, such a process was a very complicated and tiring one, even for someone as experienced as her. It was a good thing she had had so much previous practise with other infants… living in the lower district did give you plenty of opportunities for it.

But the fact that the baby had been successfully delivered and was currently crying did not necessarily mean that the boy was completely healthy. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with her glove before she spoke to the parents in the most carefree voice she could muster up. Being serious now might cause unnecessary worry to them, and might also cause them to interrupt her during the examination.

"Congratulations, both of you! Um, Tom, Denise, could I please see him for a moment? I need to make sure that he's healthy, just in case he needs more treatment."

Tom and Denise snapped out of their daze as her words pierced their shell of seclusion. They very carefully and slightly reluctantly gave their son to Estelle, whom upon thanking them immediately started looking for any outward sings of problems. Her assistant Gwenn was looking over her shoulder; she was judging the baby as well.

As the baby was still crying, and thus able to breathe properly, that was a good sign. There was also no grey or blue coloration over the body, which was also a sign of a healthy infant. He was actively struggling and responded to her touch, meaning he had the necessary vitality. The pulse was rather high, which was normal for a newborn.

Thus, she concluded that the baby was born healthy, and that she had done her job well. She did her best to hide a sigh of relief and smiled to the parents and her assistant. With that, joy seemed to burst back onto the scene after having been briefly subdued.

After a very short celebration, fatigue managed to catch up to Estelle again, and she knew that it was time to leave. At this time of day, it also gave her a good excuse to refuse payment. It was probably best to leave Gwenn here for now… in case something unexpected happened. She turned to her assistant.

"Gwenn", she said, "I need to go now… you can handle everything by yourself, can't you? Just follow the usual guidelines… repeat the examination… remember the placenta... "

Of course, it was really trivial to say it; the older woman had been on more such occasions than she herself. The only reason Estelle was usually the one performing the required tasks was her innate ability to use magic whenever things went wrong… which happened a bit more often than she would have liked to admit.

"Yes, of course," She replied, "But you cannot think of going outside alone, child? It is the middle of the night, this is the lower quarter and you are a young woman. It's not safe for you to do so, especially in your current state of exhaustion."

At this, Tom and Denise exchanged a glance. It was the father of the newly named Lucas who quickly spoke up. "You can always stay here of course! We have some extra mattresses..." She shook her head. "Well", he continued, "If you really have to go then, I can walk with you. It's the least we could offer you."

No, that wouldn't do. Staying here meant that she would be using up the money of her friends on food and whatever else they might offer her, and she had to be home in case some emergency came up. Next to that, Denise and Lucas probably needed their father/husband more at this time than she needed an escort.

She replied with a carefree smile. "No thanks, I'll be fine. After all, I used to be a knight."

Tom was slightly taken aback, but he brightened up as he remembered something. "Well, at least take this then", he said while tossing her a bundle of money. "It's your fee, and a little extra. You have more than earned it tonight."

In response, she swiftly tossed it back. "That's kind of you, but I could never accept it from my friends. You need it more than I do; I've already earned enough for this month."

She pulled her bag over her shoulder while walking towards the door. "And besides", she added as an afterthought, "The less money I carry, the less reason for thieves to try and steal it from me, right?"

Before any of the inhabitants could form a response, she had already closed the door behind her.

* * *

Gwenn sighed. Estelle was grossly overexerting herself. One of these days, her selfless behaviour was bound to get her into trouble she didn't deserve, just like her father before her…

She turned to Tom, who seemed to be too dumbfounded to know what to do. He made to go after her with the bundle of money before she decided to stop him.

"Wait. Can you really miss that money?" When she wasn't met with an immediate answer, but rather with a nervous glance in her direction, she knew enough.

'_Men... they just don't know when to swallow their pride. So typical of them...'_

"Well, it seems to me that you can't, or only with great difficulty. So keep it, she said she couldn't accept it. And as for going after her, what if you get robbed or killed on the way back? Then your son might never know his father. So stay here."

She looked back at the now closed door. "If there is some justice left in this world, she will be rewarded for it eventually."

To this, Tom could only nod.

* * *

Yuri rolled aside and narrowly avoided an attack that would have taken off his head if he had been only slightly slower. His attacker was relentless; even as Yuri had barely begun to roll, he was already following up the attack with a shockwave that was about to hit him dead on.

Doing the only thing he could, he used all the strength he had in his arms to push himself off of the ground, slightly changing the speed and direction of his roll. It didn't entirely work, as the wave had grazed his upper arm and drew blood from the resulting wound. However, he did keep himself in the fight, and that was what mattered. He could live with a little pain.

He got his feet under him as his opponent closed in, and had mere moments to decide on what to do. As his free arm was injured, any of his punches would be less effective. Using the only magic arte he knew, he formed a shockwave of his own with a slash of his sword, effectively mimicking the attackers earlier action. By now, his attacker was so close that he would also hit him with the slash at the end of his movement.

Anticipating his attacker to dodge the attack by jumping to the side that his sword was on, he already went to slightly turn his body towards that direction when something unexpected happened.

The attacker did not try to dodge.

A blue field surrounded his opponent briefly as the shockwave met its target, absorbing the shockwave to a point where there seemed to be no outward damage. The slash was met with a large shield, which the other fighter then used to strike him with, effectively throwing him further off-balance.

Yuri desperately tried to defend against the ensuing barrage of trusts, but it was a lost case. His opponent had far more stamina and strength than he currently did, as always. In the end, he found _his_ sword on the floor while the _enemies'_ sword was only inches away from his neck.

"It is my sad duty to inform you that you just died, your highness. Again, I might add."

Despite losing for the umpteenth time, Yuri had to smirk. Only Flynn could humorously mock him and still sound like the textbook example of an honorable knight at the same time.

He was also the only one who hadn't been scared off by the political issues and intrigue surrounding his position, to the point where they had actually become friends. Thus, he was one of the very few real friends that Yuri probably had, everyone that would do practically anything to get into his good graces aside.

"Well", he replied in a faked mocking tone of his own, "it is my sad duty to inform you that that means your access to all the high society events has been cancelled, as you just killed the person responsible for your invitations. Again, I might add. So all your efforts to gain social connections in favor of your grand scheme to change the world have basically been for nothing. You have my sympathies, sergeant Flynn."

However, this only seemed to widen the soldier's smile. He slowly pulled away his sword before continuing his sorrowful dialogue. "Ah, that is a pity really. But I won't miss those events as much as I will miss the sight of my liege being harassed by those lower quarter girls, who all seem to be after you whenever we successfully manage to successfully sneak you outside every once in a while. You could have given a tomato a run for its money when it came to redness, your highness."

Ignoring the pain in his arm, Yuri went to pick up his sword. Having to turn away from Flynn while doing so was an added bonus; in that way, Flynn wouldn't see the small blush that appeared on the usually roguish prince. As he had been locked up in the castle before he had gained the skills and the help required to sneak out of it, suddenly being surrounded by a flock of girls who were rather forward and blunt about their intentions had been a very awkward experience.

But Yuri wasn't beaten yet; if it came down to a battle of wits, Flynn wasn't nearly as certain to win as when it came to swordplay. His grin widened as the perfect retort came to him.

"I doubt you would miss that as much as I would miss seeing a certain sergeant coming to a costume ball dressed up as a strawberry. You're lucky that I take such good care of my subjects and introduced you under a false name. Seriously though, I never would have thought you would fall for the 'fruits are the fashion of this season' trick…"

"Knowing you, your highness", he replied, "I never would have had I heard it from you. However, I somehow hadn't considered the possibility of someone bribing the entire tailoring staff to just to give me to wrong idea. That was quite cunning of you. Fortunately, I know better now."

Yuri assumed his usual combat stance, turning his side towards Flynn as much as possible, before continuing. He tried to sound as accusing as he could possibly be with a smirk stuck on his face.

"Almost as cunning as a certain anonymous sergeant unknowingly spreading rumors about having to assist a wealthy and handsome young nobleman in escaping the castle, while leaking some vital information about the plan to a select number of girls? Such as… I don't know… our route of escape, for instance?"

Flynn, in turn, did his best to look thoughtful. "Yes, that sounds about right. What sergeant are you referring to, by the way?"

"Hmmm… I don't exactly remember his name, but I had a painter make a portrait of him while he was wearing a strawberry costume. It's one of my most prized possessions. Imagine what would happen if that ever fell into the wrong hands…"

The anonymous sergeant standing in front of Yuri swiftly had his smirk replaced by a look of absolute horror.

" Y-you didn't… I mean… you wouldn't…"

"No, of course not. Don't worry; I'll give it to you as a retirement gift, after let's say, forty more years of service? That sounds like a reasonable deal, don't you think? I'll even include a torch with the package, to make things easier for you."

Flynn just stared at him. "Give me a second to consider that, and to think of a good retort."

Yuri, being the noble prince that he was, gracefully nodded his head.

"Ah, I got it; how about trading that painting and the torch for my solemn promise not to find those girls from a few years back and tell them you were actually a prince? I'm sure some of them have families now… none of the children are yours of course, but that wouldn't stop them from claiming they are, right?"

Flynn paused briefly. "Besides," he said, "I'm sure the chancellor would have a heart attack if you suddenly had ten heirs that he would have to take care of as well."

Yuri took a moment to seriously consider this, as the idea of chancellor Naius having a heart attack wasn't entirely an unpleasant one.

"Well, that would almost make it worth all the trouble. But sure, you have a point. Let's consider this a draw then." He extended his sword towards Flynn, signaling that he was ready for the next fight. "And let's get on with this; we wouldn't want that armor of yours to rust while we were talking here, right?"

The blond haired knight, happy that he had found a threat big enough to prevent the use of the dreaded painting, nodded in return. "Yes, but maybe you should let me heal that wound of yours first. It would be dishonorable for me to duel a wounded opponent."

Yuri might have protested, knowing that it wasn't realistic to expect being able to go into every battle unhurt. Sadly, he had to accept healing in order to even remotely have a chance of beating Flynn.

Mana quickly gathered around the knight, as he used his Bhodi blastia to form a healing spell directed at Yuri. "By the way", he asked, "what will you say when someone asks about the blood on your clothes?"

"Heh, that's easy", Yuri replied nonchalantly. "I'll tell them that being locked up in this castle was so boring that it started to influence my mental stability, giving me the urge to try out some sharp weapons on myself..."

He took a moment to consider an alternative. "...Or I could tell them that I fell asleep reading the 36th change to the seventh law of the fifth area of rights while walking in a hallway, causing me to fall into a suit of armor and ending up wounding myself on one of those sharp halberds. You know how those things go."

It took a lot of willpower for Flynn to not burst out laughing and consequently mess up the spell he was casting. "Yes, but that probably won't explain why there will be no wounds on you when they find you."

"True. But it just so happens that I always carry around a multitude of gels, just in case I end up falling into a suit of armor, or running into some assassin. A prince can't be too careful now, can he? So, do you have any pointers for me?"

Flynn took a moment to go over their previous fight as a green light enveloped his friend, effectively closing all of his wounds again. His stamina was actually pretty good for someone without any actual combat experience. Very good, even…

"Just this: don't always assume that your opponent will try to avoid being hit. Sometimes, when they know they you're getting weaker, they may take a hit to try and go for a killing blow. There are also some enemies who might not care about their own well being, either because they are depressed, insane, heartbroken, fanatical, or whatever. Try to remember that when it comes to actual fighting."

"All right", said Yuri. "So how do you go about fighting such enemies?"

"For starters, it helps to wear _actual_ armor. I somehow doubt that that piece of leather you're wearing will do much against heavier weapons and stronger opponents. Secondly, try aiming for the vital body areas. If you go up against an opponent who is determined to harm you and doesn't care about himself, you will most likely get hit eventually, so the best option is to end the fight as soon as possible. It should be easier to take them out quickly if you know where to aim."

Yuri made a mental note to be on the lookout for nutcases in the possession of sharp, pointy objects. On the armor subject, he couldn't really change that yet; wearing heavy armor would mean that he'd lose two of his advantages, namely his speed and his mobility. He preferred to avoid attacks rather than relying on an armor to save his life. And besides, he wouldn't always be able to wear his armor, unlike Flynn.

He had to dress up in some of the most ridiculous outfits for certain events…

For now though, he refocused his attention on the armored fortress that was his friend. Thus, he was about to rush into yet another fight when he saw that Flynn motioned for him to wait.

"Um, Yuri, you don't actually have that painting do you?"

"Hey, don't worry. Am I the type of guy who would blackmail people like that?"

"Well, yes."

Inwardly, Yuri had to smirk.

* * *

After three more rounds of fighting, Yuri was about to get up again before Flynn decided to ask what was on his mind. "Yuri, why are you so determined to learn how to fight from me? Don't you already have an instructor…? And what about the _legion_ of knights stationed here that has protecting you as its highest priority?"

"It's not that complicated really", the prince replied, still on the ground. "If we can sneak out of the castle successfully, then unwanted guests can probably sneak in. I can't rely on you or the other knights to be there all the time. I need to be able to defend myself properly and I can't do that with all fancy fencing mister big shot teaches me."

Yuri repressed a sigh as he remembered the pompous instructor reprimanding him for his objections towards the overly flamboyant fighting style.

"That kind of stuff is for meant for tournaments, not actual combat," he continued. "It's not like some judge is going to yell at me or my opponent for not attacking in the correct way, or for attacking the wrong body part. Also, I can't exactly ask an assassin to give me a second chance if I mess up a guard."

He slowly made his way into a standing position as he continued talking.

"Besides, weren't you the one who told me the rumors about the corruption among the knights? I wouldn't have figured you to be someone who would leave the safety of his lord in the hands of some allegedly malevolent evil doers."

The knight shook his head with a feeling a sorrow. "It's hard to root out the truly corrupt knights… and even if there is enough evidence, the important ones usually have a way to cover for themselves, especially if they somehow gain the favor of someone in the council. I want to change the system so that they won't be able to keep hands above each other's heads anymore. It will be a while though before I gain enough prestige and rank to alter anything at all…"

Sadly, there wasn't much that Yuri could do to speed up this process. Despite the fact that Flynn was an extraordinarily capable soldier, it was still up to the leaders of the military itself to decide upon possible promotions. Even if he somehow successfully influenced this process, by legal or less than legal ways, there would at least be an investigation to the sudden strange behavior of the command staff.

If they were found out, Flynn would probably be discharged from the military, effectively ruining all his dreams. Thus, getting the promotions Flynn deserved was up to the knight himself. All Yuri could do for now was to ensure that his friend met the right people, and met them often enough.

The said knight continued on, shaking the black haired prince out of his thoughts. "… Even they would be better off if you survived, Yuri. As most of the other potential successors to the throne have disappeared in the last twenty years, it would create a lot of unrest among the population if something were to happen to either you or his highness Ioder. Corrupt individuals want peace to enjoy their luxury, not a civil war in which they could die."

"You know, I somehow doubt that anyone would care if something were to happen to me. My cousin is a far better candidate for the throne; being all noble and dignified, and actually able to stay awake in class. Anyone who has seen our grades would be an idiot to pick me over him as a ruler. The one thing I'm a lot better at than he is, is at swordplay, and that won't do a lot of people much good if I am supposed to be stuck on a throne until the end of eternity…"

He signaled for Repede to come closer, and the majestic dog immediately leaped from the bench he was laying on. It took him only a few seconds to reach Yuri, and the prince casually retrieved a bottle of water from the bags he carried over his frame. He then proceeded to pat the dog on the back.

"Thanks Repede."

*Woof!*

He turned back to his friend, who had taken off his armor to give him a bit of practice against a faster opponent. "Do you want a drink too, Flynn?"

The knight seemed to snap out of a daze of his own, and politely declined. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty."

"Something wrong? You look a bit distracted…"

His friend responded to this in a far more serious and determined tone than Yuri had anticipated. "May I speak freely, your highness?"

When they weren't in public, Flynn never really addressed him like that, unless he really wanted to emphasize the importance of some matters. What was it that the knight wanted to discuss now? Curiously, Yuri nodded to give his permission.

"It's about the succession", Flynn continued. "Personally I do not think that Ioder is the better choice, regardless of his academic performance. I'm afraid that he is too kind and too naïve… I'm afraid that he will be easy to control by those that don't have the country's best interests at heart."

He looked Yuri directly in the eyes. "You shouldn't underestimate the weight of your own claim to the throne. You have the strength, will and general disregard for the rules that is required to fight those people, Yuri! And I know that I'm not the only one who thinks that way."

*Woof!*

"Hey, don't team up on me all of a sudden! Great, so you say that it's better to have me rule, as I am less of a bad choice than Ioder? You sure know how to motivate someone, Flynn. That aside, it isn't very noble to goad me into leading the country onto a path of certain doom, is it? Can you really imagine me being a successful ruler?"

*…woof.*

Yuri shook his head. "No, I'm sure my cousin would do better if he'd have the right people to assist him. I could even help him with that; I don't have to be on the throne to go and lead a hunt. It's probably be one of the few useful things I'll be able to do for the empire… but I'll need more time and freedom for it than I have now. And that's exactly what I'll get once Ioder makes it to emperor."

Not to mention more time to go and enjoy the world outside of this hollow pile of bricks, but he conveniently left that part out.

"By the way", he asked his friend, "You never told me your real reason for wanting to change the way things work around here. I know that it's a noble goal, and that just about all of those seem to suit you, but I can't help feeling that there's something more to it. And now that we're discussing serious topics and all…"

At first, the knight tried to deny it, but his smile was so faked that even the chancellor could have seen through it. After telling him that, his face fell to the point where Yuri thought it might have been a mistake to ask it of him. It wasn't possible to take the question back however, as Flynn was already talking.

"It's because I made a promise to someone, back when I was still a recruit. Do you remember -"

*Woof! Woof!*

The prince stiffened; Repede had heard someone approach. After a short glance at his friend, he immediately dashed to the side and hid while Flynn quickly made his way to the door. As long as Flynn didn't let the visitor enter the abandoned storage room that they were using for training purposes, he or she wouldn't be able to actually see Yuri.

It was highly unlikely that someone not in Flynn's unit would be able to find them here, but still…

Hiding proved to be unnecessary however, as he immediately recognized the visitor's voice as Sodia's, Flynn's second in command. She had helped in getting Yuri out of the castle on several occasions, for which she had his gratitude. Thus, Yuri and Repede reappeared from behind the boxes they had used for cover.

Sodia was usually an overly serious and dutiful soldier, but for some reason she seemed to be rather nervous or uncomfortable, or both, as she had a lot of trouble saying whatever it was that she meant to say. He guessed that might have had something to do with the sight of Flynn dressed in nothing but his sweaty, now semi-transparent white shirt and a matching set of leather pants and boots.

Yuri sighed. He supposed there was a reason that Flynn's _entire_ unit, which wasn't exactly the one charged with the safest missions, consisted of female volunteers. Of course, his friend was completely oblivious to this.

Still, the female knight did her best to recompose herself and restarted her message while saluting. "Sir! I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have orders from captain Cumore. We are to investigate a recent failure of the defensive field protecting the town of Halure. I was informed that there have been civilian casualties. The directive was to leave immediately."

Immediately… they had to leave in the middle of the night? That was certainly unusual. From what Yuri had been taught about the monsters that made the fields outside of the city so dangerous, he knew that they were supposed to be more numerous and aggressive at this time of day. It seemed to make more sense to give an investigation party some more rest and to have them set off early in the morning.

After all, arriving slightly later was preferable to having them end as some monster's midnight snack.

On the other hand, if the field had completely stopped functioning, the villagers were in grave danger.

Going now would be required to try to save as many of them as possible, but waiting a bit might prevent unnecessary casualties on Flynn's part.

But hold on… why was Flynn chosen, of all people? His unit has just gotten back from their last mission earlier today. Come to think of it, he had been almost constantly burdened with tasks in these last few weeks, and none of those had been too easy or too close to home. Even though his friend tried to do as many difficult mission as possible in an attempt to gain prestige more quickly, this was becoming a little too much for comfort.

Flynn and Yuri exchanged a glance. Was someone trying to systematically keep Flynn away from the castle? And if so, why? Or was this person hoping that he 'accidentally' died somewhere? Maybe Cumore himself…? This was his third consecutive order... was he afraid that Flynn would outrank him eventually?

No… there was no use in speculating about it now; there was no evidence for that, and he was perfectly allowed to delegate certain tasks to officers of a lower rank. And as civilians were in danger, Flynn would immediately go to save them, regardless of his own risks.

Unsurprisingly, he gave the order to prepare for immediate departure. As Sodia left to inform the rest of the unit, after ensuring everyone that she hadn't seen Yuri there, Flynn turned to say his goodbyes to his friend. "Well, I'm sorry, your highness. Looks like duty calls… as it has done very often lately."

Yuri nodded, completely serious for once. "Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of this. For now, just focus on saving the world again. I'm pretty sure someone will be forced to promote you soon if you keep completing those missions successfully."

Flynn slightly brightened at that. "Thanks, but don't do anything dangerous in the process. I won't be there to save you if you run into any serious trouble."

"Heh, You worry about yourself", Yuri replied with a grin. "Remember that I have a _legion_ of knights here that has protecting me as its highest priority? I'm afraid I can't say the same about you."

* * *

After Flynn had left, Yuri sat down to treat his remaining injuries with the gels that Repede carried with him. The knight had forgotten to heal him in his hurry to set out, and he had forgotten to ask. Still, it gave him a bit more practice in treating his own wounds… not to mention some time to think about what had been said. For some reason, Flynn's words about the succession kept haunting his mind.

"... Do you really think I could be a good ruler, Repede? If something happened to Ioder, I mean."

*…Woof.*

" Yeah, I know I asked it before… but you're right. I'll need others to help me… others I can trust to do the right thing, and who will know what I should have known."

The gel stung heavily, and he gritted his teeth in reaction. He managed to put his pain aside however, as he had some very serious matters to ponder about.

"But where am I going to find those people? How will I recognize them, and how can I protect them if things are really as bad as they seem to be?"

For once, Repede had no answer and could only watch as his master continued to treat his wounds.

"But most importantly," he went on, "Will I have the support needed to claim the throne without a civil war breaking out? Flynn probably meant that there were other _knights_ that might support me, not the council members or the general population. After all, the council is basically in love with Ioder, and with me being stuck here without any real power, I haven't been able to do much to gain the favor of the people…"

*…woof…*

"Yeah… let's just hope it doesn't come to that…"

* * *

At this time of night, even the streets of the lower quarter were completely deserted. The utter silence seemed unnatural to Estelle, who had grown up being accustomed to the bursting activity that usually reigned here.

This was not what was really on her mind, though; she was worried. Very worried. Her feeling of tiredness was steadily growing worse while she didn't seem to make much progress in getting closer to her house. It was as if the roads were just a lot longer today…

As her tiredness increased, so did her paranoia of her surroundings. How many times had she believed to see something moving in the shadows? She normally wasn't afraid of a fight, but if a group of bandits attacked her in her current state, would she be able to hold them off? If not, would anyone come if she called for help…?

…Was Gwenn right? Had it been a mistake to leave as she had done?

'_No. My mind is playing tricks on me... I'm armed and there wouldn't normally be any people wandering the streets, so there wouldn't be anyone for a thief or a murderer to rob or kill, right? I just need to stay awake… need to keep going…'_

It was while she was repeating this mantra that another line of thought started to emerge.

'_It is the middle of the night, this is the lower quarter and you are a young woman. It's not safe for you...'_

Doing her best not to listen to Gwenn's voice of wisdom, she slowly continued her path up till the point where she saw the street widen up to the market square that included blastia enforced fountain which provided most of the lower district with clean water.

It was then that a gust of wind blew, which caused a loose plank from one of the higher buildings to fall down. The resulting noise was enough to terrify her, and she reflexively fell into her combat stance, facing the sound. When she realised that it hadn't been some assassin accidentally slipping up or trying to distract her, she slightly relaxed before being overcome by a feeling of anger.

This was wrong. All of it; she shouldn't have to be afraid to wonder the streets at night, shouldn't have to worry about facing a group of bandits when no one would appear to help her. If only those cursed knights who only came down here to collect taxes would actually bother to patrol here once in a while...

It had been quite a disillusioning experience for her to learn that most of them really did not care about anything that happened here. That was one of the reasons she had left the knights, and she had done her best to bury that part of her past as deeply as possible.

She shook herself out of her thoughts; the feeling of fatigue was becoming overwhelming. She needed to rest before continuing her way. There was only one spot to sit down, and that was on the stone railing surrounding the fountain. Maybe if she sat down for a little while she could make the rest of the way a little more bearable.

Slowly, she made her way over to the fountain. Even in its malfunctioning state, the aqua blastia shone brightly in the night, covering the structure and the water irregularly flowing out of it in a soft blue light. For some reason, Estelle found her eyes fixed on the blue sphere. There was something enchanting about it…

She blinked. She had already made it to the fountain, but found herself continuing to stare at the gem. She quickly sat down and scanned her surroundings; at first glance, she was still alone. She scoffed herself for her carelessness; dropping her guard like that didn't improve her chances of getting home safely.

But that blastia…

She glanced up again.

For one insane moment, she felt the urge to reach out for it. She saw her arm extending towards it…

… right before someone grabbed her and forcefully pushed her head into the water.

She might have gasped or called for help, if she could breathe and wasn't underwater.

And again she heard the voice of her friend:

'_It is the middle of the night, this is the lower quarter and you are a young woman. It's not safe for you...'_

_**Author's notes:**_

Wow, I actually managed to stay below 10000 words for once. With 6500, I guess I'm getting closer to more reader friendly chapters.

On the story, I was pondering on how much the different backgrounds themselves would have actively changed Yuri's and Estelle's respective personalities. While I could imagine Yuri being a roguish type of prince with more or less the same personality, I had a lot of trouble justifying Estelle to be the same.

After all, growing up in the lower quarter (which are more or less the slums) means she can't be nearly as naïve as the in game Estelle, having been forced to adjust to the far harsher environment. On the other hand, changing her too much would basically make her an OC, so I'll try to avoid that. It's a bit of a thin line I'll have to walk over… however; I'm confidant that I'll be able to make it work in the end.

So, was it a nice read and did you think I did a good job? Could anything have been done in a better way? Please review to let me know!


	2. Similarities

**Brief introduction: **

I would like to thank everyone for the support that i recieved for chapter one. I can honestly say that i was overwhelmed by the amount of reviews and alerts that it generated. It was this same support that drove me to update this story before the start of my actual vacation, which is in a few days from now.

As a quick note on the chapter length, it is indeed slightly longer (by about 400 words). Last chapter, there were two requests to shorten the chapters and two requests to keep the chapters long. As i will probably be unable to update in the coming 2.5 weeks, I decided to go with a slightly longer chapter. I promise that chapter 3 will be shorter. Oh, and i did do my best to avoid blocks of text, as there were some of those in the previous chapter.

For now, enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Vesperia.

**_Nobility, chapter 2: Similarities_**

Strangely, at first, Estelle didn't really feel anything. Was it the shock of the moment? To be suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with her own mortality?

…Was this the way she was going to die? Gwenn had been right; this had been a mistake...

…She was so tired…

However, as she became aware of what exactly she was thinking, her survival instinct flared and filled her with feelings of rage and indignation. She had to shake off those dangerous thoughts. She had to live!

_'No! I'm not going to die like this! Not because I didn't want to accept payment from my friends! I was a knight… I've been though more dangerous trials than someone trying to drown me! I can get through this...'_

There wasn't much time left to think though. She really needed to breathe soon… if she wanted to do something, it would have to happen fast. As resurfacing military discipline kept her from panicking, she immediately proceeded to briefly analyse the situation.

From the weight on her belt, she knew that her sword was sheathed. When had she decided to put it away? No, there was no time to ponder on that! Her small shield was still on her left arm. Her body was bent over the railing; she was in the water up to shoulder level.

As for the assassin, she could feel one hand on her head and one hand on her left upper arm. That told her that her attacker probably wasn't very experienced. If he had been, he would have held her sword arm at her back while pushing her head into the water.

Judging from the amount of pressure, her attacker wasn't very strong either... but as she was completely exhausted, that didn't mean a lot. In her current state and position even a ten-year-old had a chance to overpower her.

...But it did mean that she had a slightly better chance at escaping if she somehow managed to surprise him.

Hold on... she hadn't really struggled yet. Maybe the rookie assassin would figure her to be dead and loosen his hold if she remained limp for just a few more seconds? Could she wait for that?

She decided to wait slightly longer… and just as she was about to give up on the idea, she was rewarded. The holds on her arm and head did indeed relax slightly.

She immediately made her move.

Using all of her remaining strength, she reached out for the hand that held her head with her left arm. At the same time, she threw her right leg over the railing, put her foot on the edge and pushed herself off of it.

Catching her attacker off-guard, she managed to launch herself further into the water while taking him with her. It worked better than she thought it would, as she actually managed to pull the assassin around her, placing him directly in front of her in the water.

Seizing the opportunity, she quickly drew her sword and blindly stabbed at the water-blurred form of the assassin.

This had to work. If he didn't let go very soon, she would drown.

Fortunately, she felt the feeling of resistance that went along with impaling someone with a sword. To reinforce the finding, the water directly around her sword hand became slightly warmer. Obviously the attacker was bleeding from a wound, though it was too dark to see that.

She felt the assassin's hands reflexively release her and she immediately went for the surface, pulling out her sword along the way.

If the urge to breathe hadn't been all-consuming, she probably would have tried to stab him again, be it from anger or from a desire to be absolutely sure. As it was, she reached the surface and embraced the air as she had never done before.

Knowing that the thrust might not have been enough to ensure her safety, she immediately put some distance between her and the point where she had stabbed the attacker. She readied her sword and looked around for any sign of movement, her breathing slightly stabilising as she waited.

Sadly, the reflection of the stars upon the water, combined with the poor lighting that came from the lanterns and the aqua blastia, made it difficult to see. She decided to take a gamble and momentarily dropped her guard to quickly pull herself out of the fountain.

...Or rather, as quickly and efficiently as she still could, which meant that she ended up rolling onto the cold, stone slabs that formed the pavement of the square. For some reason, they almost felt pleasant and comfortable.

She made her way up to her knees, and looked back. There was still no sign of her attacker. Apparently, the attack had been fatal. As she slowly realised that she was safe, her anger was replaced by two sudden desires; to laugh and to cry.

However, both those urges were subdued by a rather frightening realisation; if that assassin had used a weapon on her, it would be her body floating down there. She involuntarily shuddered. It had been _that_ close...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the water of the same fountain, a certain young mage was slowly losing her consciousness.

To her, it was as if she was weightless. Weightless and suspended in a world that seemed to exist of nothing but pain, coldness and darkness.

She couldn't move. Or could she…? Somehow, she wasn't sure.

She tried to escape, but found that she didn't even know where to go.

She was scared. Even as her awareness of everything faded away further, she thought she heard her conscience chiding her.

'_Way to go, Rita! Again you decide to help someone, and look where it got you this time!? I swear that the next time I catch you doing something that stupid...'_

But Rita couldn't concentrate on the voice. Her last thought was one of sadness; deep down inside, she knew that there wouldn't be a next time that she helped someone.

* * *

Yuri and Repede stealthily made their way through the hallways of the barracks that belonged to the castle. Although the prince's knowledge of this side building wasn't nearly as complete as his knowledge of the castle itself, he was easily able to plan the safest route to get to the military archives.

He had been prepared to avoid sudden patrols by swiftly hiding in the shadows, to distract stationary guards with rocks or with Repede, to lock pick a few doors for an alternate route if needed; even knocking out a stray guard or two was an option if it was absolutely necessary...

But there was no real reason to worry. There were very few soldiers on patrol, and the ones he did see were not very alert. Two of them had even been so absorbed in their rather loud discussion on how to 'talk in the correct knightly way' that he probably could have walked right through them without them even noticing.

"…I still say to you, Boccos, that 'I say' should be in every line a worthy knight speaks! I'd almost say that you never read the classic books..."

"No, Adecor, it is you who did not read the books! There is no mention of a rule to say 'I say' in every line anywhere in the knight's manual of proper manners, volume three!"

"You take that back, I say! I did a proper study on old novels, and as your superior, I hereby order you to follow my example of repeatedly saying ' I say'!"

"Hey, I am _your _superior! You cannot order…"

Inwardly, Yuri had to sigh. Was he really supposed to depend to people like them for his safety?

It figured; while the security of the castle was supposed to be top notch, the actual defence of it was full of holes. He knew it from experience. The only ones that did do their jobs adequately, in his eyes, were the Royal Guards, but those were not officially a part of the normal military and thus had no real business being here.

...Unless of course they were looking for him right now, but Yuri suspected that their captain, Lisa, secretly knew and approved of his night-time training sessions with Flynn. On the other hand, he had also gotten quite good at avoiding them as the years went by, so running into one shouldn't be a large problem...

He interrupted his musings to better focus on the task at hand. He had chosen to start his investigation on Cumore as fast as possible, and the files of him at the archive were as good of a place to start looking for dirt as any. Being able to check Flynn's file for any oddities was an added bonus.

As he finally reached the hall containing the entrance to the archives, something unexpected happened; the large door suddenly started to open. As one, Yuri and Repede immediately ducked for cover behind separate statues.

They were met with a rather unusual sight. A man dressed in what appeared to be a long, purple trench coat came stumbling out of the room, giggling as he had a rather hard encounter with the carpet that covered the stone floor.

It was obvious that this person had had too much to drink today... way too much, probably.

As the strange man unsteadily stood up, Yuri saw he was armed with a large bow and various knives. Was this someone from the military? Someone off-duty? Or was this an intruder, like him? Probably the latter; why would someone be here at this hour? He didn't really look or act like a bookkeeper.

For a moment, he wondered how a completely drunken spy had managed to gain access to something as important as the archives, but upon remembering the two knights from earlier, he realised that he probably already knew.

Slowly, the man stumbled his way towards him and Repede. Should they take him out? There was a chance that the man could raise an alarm if they tried it, but it was also possible that this man had the documents he was after, putting his state of intoxication aside.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for Yuri, the choice was made for him as the man suddenly grabbed his bow and aimed it at the place he was hiding in. He did his best not to listen to the emerging smug voice of Flynn telling him to never underestimate his opponents...

"Ah haw!" the man said with a slur, "What do these ol' eyes of mine sees? Is someone wantin' to play hide 'n seek with ol' sraven? Well, come out with your hands above your… eh… arms..."

After making a swift and nearly unnoticeable gesture towards Repede to wait, Yuri slowly appeared from behind the statue while raising his arms. He immediately saw that this person's aim was very unsteady, which was dangerous. His grip was loose; what if he suddenly let go by accident?

"Whoa!", the man continued, "I've caught myself a real beauty here! Nice long black hair... an' broad too... eh? blood? Ah, I ger it! You're a soldier like me huh hunney? Lonely and looking for some company unner the moon..."

Yuri didn't particularly like the drool coming out of the spiky haired person's mouth. Was this guy actually mistaking him for a girl? How much did he drink, really?

…Enough to try and hit on a guy covered in bloody clothing apparently...

Regardless, the man had a deadly weapon, and his chatter was bound to attract the guards sooner or later. It was time; Yuri had a clear line of sight now. He spoke just one word.

"Repede..."

*GROWL*

"Huw...? A B-beast…"

As the purple robed figure spun around (and nearly fell over doing so), Yuri immediately grabbed for a rock from the bundle of his belt. He had to hit him with the first shot; otherwise the man might be able to fire at Repede. He took a fraction of a second to aim...

The man tried to steady himself, continuing to speak as he did. "Have no fear beauty!! I will tame-"

*Bam*

As the pervert was hit squarely on the back of the head, he silently fell to the floor. Luckily, the arrow that was released embedded itself in the carpet, which muffled the resulting sound.

Yuri supposed that could have gone a lot worse. If that arrow had flown towards any of the sparse lamps, or had hit any of the suits of armor, the noise would have attracted all the guards in the vicinity, regardless of how good or bad they were.

Still, there was a chance any of them had heard the talking. Thus, he swiftly went to drag the person back inside the archives. At the same time, he gave Repede the order to take along the arrow. He couldn't leave that lying around; it was a dead giveaway to anyone who happened to stroll by here.

Upon having entered the massive hall, he took a small gamble and went through the man's pockets before doing anything else. That man had gotten in while being drunk, which meant that he probably had a key. If someone had to open a locked door, it would give him some time to react and hide.

And indeed, after a bit of searching, in which he did his best to ignore the stench of coming off of the purple-clad pervert, he found a rather odd looking one. It also happened to fit on the lock of the door.

For a while he just listened at the door for any signs of investigating guards. Not too surprisingly, none of those appeared. Part of him was relieved; another part of him was slightly annoyed.

'_Great… so the only real problem I had while getting in here was a drunk, perverted old man who might not even be part of the military. What if I had been a Guild spy who wanted to burn these files_?'

Making a mental note to indirectly inform Lisa of this finding tomorrow, he turned his attention back towards the reeking archer. For a moment, he contemplated asking Repede if he recognised the guy's scent, but he immediately decided against it. There was no way he would put his companion's sensitive nose through such torture.

Still… this guy had some serious skills, being able to see him in such a high state of intoxication. What had he been doing here, anyway? Glancing across the hall, he saw one desk that had its blastia lamp turned on.

He curiously crossed the distance. Next to a few empty bottle of cheap wine, there were a number of files left open. They belonged to one Lieutenant Leblanc, a captain named Schwann and, oddly enough, the two guards he had just run across, Boccos and Adecor. They all seemed to be in the same unit…

Why was the pervert interested in them?

…Yuri ignored the sarcastic explanation of him planning to hit on _these guys _as well.

Not really knowing what to make of it, he decided to put it aside for now. Still, the set-up did bring a grin to his face…

A few moments later, the archer was lying on the floor behind the desk, next to a similarly prone chair. With the bump on his head, anyone investigating would assume that he had fallen out of his chair backwards, which wasn't very far fetched given the amount of wine on display.

Also, with a few extra random files on the desk, anything that Yuri now touched and somehow put back in the wrong way would seem to have been caused by him. He doubted that the purple clad archer would remember anything that had happened in the morning. And with Yuri having the key, he would be locked inside of the room. Oh well, drunken people tended to lose things anyway… especially small things.

As the prince went to move away, he suddenly heard the man mumble something.

"Oh… don't worry lawies… I'm always… open to new things… hehe… "

Figuring that the man probably wasn't in any hurry to wake up, he picked up a spare lamp and turned to his companion.

"Come on, Repede. Let's go find some evidence… without anyone able to quickly alter the files."

*Woof*

As they disappeared in the shadows between the massive bookcases, Yuri briefly thought about what would happen when the pervert was found tomorrow. He figured that if the man was part of the military, he'd probably get reprimanded by his superior, or at most, temporarily suspended.

If he weren't, he would probably end up in jail.

* * *

While looking at the water of the fountain, Estelle gradually realised that she had made a mistake… a very dangerous one.

There was now a body in the same fountain that almost everyone in the lower quarter used for fresh water.

The water was no longer clean, and with the fountain malfunctioning…

Her eyes widened in horror.

Repressing a feeling of panic, she took a moment to consider her options. To give the malfunctioning blastia a chance to refresh all the tainted water currently in the bastion, she would have to remove the body as fast as possible.

There was only one small problem with that: she didn't have the strength left to do it. Was it worth calling for help and risking that she attracted the wrong kind of support; the kind that only cared about relieving her of any valuables, or of her life, for that matter?

No, she decided. For tonight, she had had enough of trying her luck. She glanced around, and noticed that there was a bag lying on the ground not too far away. Did it belong to the assassin? Maybe there was some medicine in there that could help her...

She quickly walked, or rather, stumbled, towards it while doing another check of her surroundings. She thought she was still alone, but how sure could she really be? That was exactly what she had thought just moments before the attack...

Naturally, she made haste while rummaging through the pack.

Oddly, it seemed to be filled with vials and books... not exactly the first things that Estelle had expected to find in the bag of a murderer. She proceeded to drag the bag closer to one of the lantern posts, as she needed more light to examine it clearly.

As she came to a bottle containing a luminescent silvery substance, she paused. Was this what she thought it was? Could it really be a melange gel? That kind of medicine was said to be as potent as it was expensive, thus used only by the extremely wealthy or the important officers of the imperial army.

It was so rare, in fact, that she had only seen two of them during her six months of service in the knights.

Regardless, the label seemed to be quite sure of it. It read:

"_Melange gel. Property of Rita Mordio. Stay away. Trespassers will be incinerated."_

Rita...? The assassin was a girl? For some reason, Estelle had automatically assumed it was a man... Interrupting that line of thought, she focussed back on the name. Had she heard the name 'Mordio' before...?

Realising that she was unnecessarily prolonging her stay here, she went to remove the cork and tried to drink it. Unfortunately, the substance stuck to the vial. She chided herself (and 'Rita') for her mistake...

'_What kind of person would put a gel into a bottle? How could someone quickly get a substance that sticky out of there when it was really needed?'_

Glancing around nervously, she made sure she was alone before shattering the top end of the vial against the lantern. The resulting noise destroyed the silence surrounding her in a threateningly efficient manner.

She quickly went to scrape a large handful of the substance and ate it while moving back to the fountain. It was time to finish this and get out of here.

The effect of the gel was as immediate as it was powerful. She almost fell as the world forcefully sprang back into much clearer focus; the amounts of restored vitality and strength were almost overwhelming. Taking too much of it was probably dangerous to your health… which was somewhat ironic for a medicinal substance.

With the help of the gel and the water that marked the spot where she had climbed out of the fountain, finding and retrieving the body was actually pretty easy. After tentatively checking that it really wouldn't move upon her touching it, she got herself and 'Rita' back on land.

It was then that she finally got a good look at the body of the person that had tried to kill her only moments before.

She wore an odd and colourful outfit that consisted of a set of glasses, a red and black working uniform, some very poorly matching socks and shoes, a whip, and an awfully expensive white silken cloak with elaborate patterns on the back.

It was obvious that she wasn't from the lower quarter; next to having gels worth more than the average house on this block (ignoring the possibility she stole it from previous victims), she dressed up in a way that no sane person living in the slums would ever do. It would attract far too much unwanted attention.

However, what was most remarkable about her was her age. Estelle estimated that she couldn't be much older than fifteen. Seeing the body of a girl that young automatically filled Estelle with sadness, regardless of what she had done or tried to do. Far too many women died prematurely in these neighbourhoods…

For a moment, she couldn't help but wonder what had brought this girl on this path. Had she been forced to take up a life of crime?

No… that seemed slightly off. She wore at least one expensive piece of clothing, she had a lot of equally expensive books, and she didn't have the experience that Estelle would have expected a professional to have. She couldn't have stolen all of that.

Out of habit, she involuntarily went to check her pulse, even though she had to be dead by now…

Her heart skipped a beat.

It was very erratic… but Rita had a pulse. She was still alive. This meant that that hadn't been a lot of time that had passed. To Estelle it had seemed to be far longer.

If she tried to heal her, chances were that the girl could be saved. Normally, she would have instantly started channelling her magic, but this person _had_ tried to kill her. Healing a near dead person would take a lot out of her replenished strength; what if she tried to attack her when she was finished?

…Not to mention having to lower her guard towards her surroundings while she was busy…

But even as Estelle looked at the pale face of the young girl, she knew she had already made her choice.

As she started the most powerful heal she could safely muster up, she wondered how many others would have done the same thing, if they had been in her position.

* * *

The first thing she felt was soreness. Then came stiffness. It was all over her body, in every fibre of her being. She felt like she was torn up…

However, the feeling was soon replaced by an overwhelming urge to breathe. She tried to, but something was stopping her. She tried again, harder this time. She had to… breathe…

A cough… she was dimly aware of coughing up something that seemed to be inside of her. But she didn't mind, with every cough, the breathing became a bit easier.

That's when realisation hit her. She was breathing. Had she been able to do that during her nightmarish experience…?

Rita tentatively opened her eyes, and thought she saw a green glow fading away. In it's centre was a brown robe… she tried to turn upward to get a better look, but was met with the point of a sword.

Wait… a sword? Her eyes widened in shock as she recognised the figure. It was the insane girl that she had tried to help, almost getting herself killed in the process.

Rage welled up inside her, but before she was able to do something, the nutcase spoke up.

"If you're thinking of attacking me again, please don't try it. I used to be a knight. I can easily use this sword before you can finish making a move."

The young mage was momentarily taken aback. What was she rambling about 'attacking her again?' Compared to what she asked next though, her first statement made as much sense as a blastia having a personality.

"Why did you try to kill me?"

Ok, that did it. By now, her anger and incredulity had grown to a point where she wasn't able to keep them to herself anymore. She would tell this lunatic exactly what was on her mind…

"Y-you are insane…", she said, her voice slowly regaining its strength. "What are you talking about!? AND WHY DID-"

She might have continued, if it hadn't been for the fact that the pink haired asylum candidate had forcefully placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh!" she whispered in a commanding way. "What are you trying to do!? Pull every single available bandit to us!?"

Rita's first impulse was to bite her and yell out 'Bring them on!' before continuing her tirade, but the sword against her neck made her reconsider.

The pink haired girl took a look around before focussing back on her. "If I let you go, do you promise not to yell?"

As Rita did not think she had much of a choice, she nodded. Upon releasing her, the woman repeated her first question. The mage did her best to not to immediately explode in anger again.

"I didn't try to kill you… I was _saving_ you! I saw you walking over here like some zombie, staring at the blastia. You were about to use magic on it! I had to stop you before-"

"Don't lie to me!" The lunatic warned. "I wasn't going to do anything like that! And even if that was true, couldn't you have stopped me in some other way than by trying to drown me??"

As the polite way obviously didn't work, Rita replied with as much vehemence as she could without raising her voice.

"I'm a mage. I can sense magic when it's gathering! And I yelled out to you, twice! Do you know what could have happened if you had continued!? You could have died, or worse; you could have destroyed the blastia!"

She took a moment to catch her breath. "I was waiting on you to start struggling; to show me _any_ sign of you snapping out of whatever fantasy you were having before you suddenly grabbed me, threw me in the pool and stabbed me in the chest!"

It really seemed to work better, as she thought she could see doubt forming in the face of the swordswoman. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked. "And if so, then what are you doing out here?"

The mage balled her fists. Part of her wanted nothing more than to burn this nutcase here and now.

"You can believe whatever you like," she replied. "I told you what happened. I know for sure that I'm never going to help you again, though! As for what I'm doing here, I was hired to fix this broken blastia! And this sword is _kind _of in my way!"

This line definitely had an effect. The strange woman slightly withdrew blade while staring at her incredulously.

"_You're _the mage that elder Hanks hired for that? But… you're so young… and why are you here at this time of night? The lower quarter is far more dangerous now, especially for us women…"

It took her a lot of willpower to not make a sarcastic response involving the sleepwalker being a hypocrite. She seemed to be aware of it herself however, as Rita could have sworn she sounded a little embarrassed. But what really mattered was that she wouldn't get away with insulting her pride.

"Hey you, you're talking to the great Rita Mordio, the absolute best on the field on blastia research! There is no one better suited for this job than I am, and I'm perfectly able to take care of whoever is sorry enough to try and attack me!"

'…_psychotic sleepwalkers aside.'_

"…Besides, I work better when there is no one else around. I live alone, I study alone, I work alone! And at night, I can always be alone, without some idiot getting in the way or asking stupid questions!" She stared at the pink haired girl deliberately.

The woman in front of her looked away for a moment, obviously considering what to do. Finally, she nodded and stepped back. "...All right. If you can operate the blastia control, I'll give you the benefit of doubt."

Rita sighed in exasperation. "You're rather distrustful person, you know?"

The mage had to smirk, however. She would finally get to heal this beauty and consequently leave this dump forever. She couldn't say she'd be missing the company of this insane and dangerous person, or the sight of the neighbourhood she belonged to.

Soon after opening the control panel, she lost herself within the following charts and graphs. She started by giving the machine the commands for a number of diagnostic calculations…

… Quite some time later, she took another look around her and was surprised to find the woman still watching her, though from a distance.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be? I told you that I work better alone, didn't I?"

"This is… very important for us- the lower quarter as a whole," She slowly replied. "A lot of people gave what little they had to pay you… are you sure you will be all right on your own…? You don't seem to be giving a lot of attention to your surroundings…"

Rita had the decency to blush, and did her best to hide it. "Ok, ok. I'll look around a bit more. I think you should get out of here… you sound like you're about to fall asleep or something. And don't think that I'll help you if you do, cause I promised I wouldn't!"

In truth, she would have grabbed any excuse to be rid of her. Constantly being watched by a woman that had fatally wounded her not too long ago was a creepy sensation.

"…All right. I guess I should listen to the advice of others for once…" the lunatic replied. "…Good luck, Rita."

As she turned to leave, the mage called after her loudly, breaking her newly acquired habit of whispering. "Hey! Don't go yet; you still owe me an apology! You almost got me killed!"

"That counts… for you too." With that, the swordswoman disappeared into the night.

It was then that Rita decided to start working on the actual repairs. However, just as she had begun reconfiguring the required settings, the console flared in alarm. After asking the blastia what was wrong, she was stupefied by the answer.

"Wh-what did they do to you…?"

* * *

" Good morning, young master! I hope you slept well tonight, but I suppose you didn't, judging by the liberal amounts of dried blood on your clothes."

Yuri groaned. He could have sworn he had just snuck back inside his room just a few seconds ago. Sure enough, not to far away from him on the floor, he could hear Repede whining, apparently sharing his sentiment. Still, years of experience had taught him never to ignore this particular voice.

"Nothing too exciting," he replied with a yawn, "Just a few assassins here and there. I fought them off and fed their remains to Repede. Right, Buddy?"

*…Woof!*

"Indeed, Master Lowell," the voice of Preston dully continued. "Might I suggest then that you at least take off your garments after the next time you perform a similar heroic feat? The servants that found you were completely hysterical... Alice came to me crying, saying you had been murdered in your sleep."

It was silent for a small moment. "But I suppose it's a good thing that Repede has already had his breakfast, at least. We'll save it for tonight, then."

*Whine*

The prince sighed. "All right, all right, you got me. Will you give Repede his breakfast if I allow you to wake me at this ungodly hour?"

"Actually, It's closer to seven then you might think, young master. But yes, I suppose that could be arranged. You need to get up early; it will be a busy day."

"Busy? In what way?" the prince asked while changing into his bathrobe. "Today is the only day I don't have any lessons, though I somehow do always end up spending it on extraordinarily boring assignments..."

"Well, you see sir," his head servant explained, "I figured you might have wanted to take some extra lessons in an effort to catch up with Ioder, so I took the liberty of adding some of them for you today."

Yuri turned, and saw the gray-haired, oldest servant of his house pretending to look thoughtful. It probably was a comical sight, but he knew that the pose foretold certain doom.

"I was looking for you to see if you had any objections, but I was unable to find you while you were off fighting for your life. So I supposed you would have agreed. Oh, and I also planned a manicure for Repede at three."

*WHINE*

"Hey, don't take this out on him! He only followed me because I asked him to. If you want to punish someone for this, I'm the one you should be going for."

"How noble of you, young master," Preston merrily replied while taking a quill out of his pocket. "I shall inform the staff that you wish to take the manicure instead."

Yuri could have punched himself.

*Pant*

_'Yeah, you're welcome, buddy…'_

There wasn't much time to dwell on it though, as Preston immediately handed him the agenda for the coming week.

Yuri uncomfortably scratched his head. "Don't you think assigning five out of eleven possible hours to history lessons is overdoing it a bit? And what about 3 hours of meeting with other houses?"

Preston assumed his unique 'lecturing pose' as he explained.

"History might prevent us from making similar mistakes in the future, a concept that apparently continues to elude you. And about the houses: you need to meet more potential brides, young master. Even putting the political and economical advantages of a well-chosen marriage aside, you still need an heir."

He turned away, seemingly lost in thought. "You know, sometimes I wished you were a bit more like an average young nobleman and had a little… 'accident' with, let's say, one of the servant girls. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about you nearly as much."

"Yeah, that might be because the average nobleman doesn't have to worry about himself or his descendant being forced to rule over an empire," the prince retorted. "Look, isn't there something more urgent to discuss now?"

In response, the old servant nodded. "Indeed sir. There are more pressing matters at this time. For instance, Lisa is coming over shortly to have a conversation with you. If I understood correctly, it was about a break-in at the military archives this night…"

He glanced over at Yuri. " … But of course, I couldn't possibly imagine how you might have been involved." The sarcasm was so thick that it was almost edible.

The prince knew that it was pointless to try and feign ignorance, though he did wonder how Lisa had found out. "I hope to hear the explanation myself. Well, I guess I should go and take a bath now; I wouldn't want to unnecessarily worry any servants with the dried blood on me, right?"

He turned to leave, but was stopped by a final remark of his servant. "Oh, before you leave, you might want to check on the agenda of next week in advance, it's something that requires some planning."

Curiously, Yuri flipped the page. The content of the next one stopped him dead in his tracks.

"_Ioder has disappeared. The council and the military are trying to cover it up. Emergency meeting tonight. You have the day off. Use your time well_."

_-L.P._

He casually tore out the page and threw it into the fireplace. "Yeah," he muttered dryly. "Next week will be busy."

Deep down inside though, he did his best to suppress a rising feeling of fear.

_"Ioder... you'de better be safe..."_

* * *

The first thing she noted was a scent. It was a very pleasant scent… in fact, it distinctly reminded her of one of her favourite foods. There was a faint sound, and the scent grew stronger.

She slowly opened her eyes. In front of her stood a large bowl of miso soup. Next to it was the outline of a slightly fuzzy figure…

"Are you awake, child?"

"…Gwenn?" Estelle slowly asked, "Why are you up here?"

"Taking care of you, obviously. I was worried when I didn't see you at the clinic downstairs, so I came to check up on you..."

Upon hearing that, Estelle immediately tried to get out of bed. She had overslept…? What if someone needed her help…?

It was fruitless effort though, as Gwenn immediately went to stop her.

"No, you will let me finish," She commanded. "I closed up early today. You really need some time to reest, and I'm not even letting you out of there until you have at least finished eating that. No one is going to benefit from you working yourself to death."

As Estelle really couldn't deny that she was very hungry, she slowly started eating her breakfast. She noticed that her brown dress was hanging out to dry. Had she done that yesterday…? She seemed to recall closing the door and heading straight for bed…

After she had gotten through about half of the bowl, Gwenn decided to break the silence." You gave me quite a scare, child. I found you lying on your bed, wearing a wet dress that had large smears of blood all over it."

She paused and looked away. "…For a moment, I thought you had been killed in your sleep."

Estelle tried to think of something to say, but couldn't find the appropriate words. She didn't need to, however, as her assistant wasn't done talking yet.

"Estelle, please tell me what happened. Were you… attacked?"

All the memories of the previous night seemed to return to her at once, especially the ones about her barely avoiding drowning. With the fear and desperation she had experienced rapidly resurfacing, she felt a sudden urge to hold on to the older woman. Wheter it was from a desire to be comforted or to ensure herself that she was still alive, she didn't know.

"I… I don't know what to tell you…" she stammered.

In the end, she did tell her the entire story. While doing so, she gradually felt her anxiety fade away. As much as a part of her tried to deny it, there was a significant difference between surviving on a battlefield, and surviving an assassination attempt… even if it had proven to be a false one.

"Child… that was brave of you, but foolish. Please promise me that you will start watching out for your _own_ safety, from now on. I'm seriously worried that it might be the end of you, one of these days…"

"I'm sorry…" Estelle replied, "but I just couldn't find it in me to leave her there to die. I…apologise for worrying you."

At this, Gwenn looked away. "I… do not wish to bring this news to you, child… but the aqua blastia that mage was working on… has disappeared."

The younger woman froze.

' _No… did Rita… only a blastia mage can remove…but…'_

"… To me, it seems like she really wanted to kill you, to make sure no one would be there to witness her theft of the sphere…"

'…_How could I have been so naïve…!? To believe she worked better in the middle of the night!? To take her advice to leave her alone…!?'_

"…Hanks and a group of men are working to prevent it from flooding part of…"

_'... So many people are going to suffer because of my softness...'_

No, she dicided. It was time to rectify a mistake. She forced herself out of the bed.

"Where are you going, child?"

"Where else?" she replied while putting on her favorite white dress. "To hunt a thief."

Strangely, the elder woman shook her head. "Didn't you hear me the first time? You are going to finish your breakfast first, and after that, if I really can't stop you, there is a more pressing concern."

The healer stared at her. "What could be more important than the threat of part of the lower quarter over flooding?"

"Tax collectors," Gwenn solemnly replied, "The bad kind."

**_Author's notes:_**

One of the the main ideas behind the Oc's in this story is to add realism to the overal setting. In Yuri's case, i figured that as a prince and as the head of a noble house, he would have a head servant to support/look after him, and there had to be someone in charge of keeping him safe (even though Lisa herself is not in this chapter).

To get back to Estelle's characterisation, i figured that she would be inherently kind enough to try and give someone who tried to kill her a second chance, even though the thought of saving that person only appears after she has regained the stamina to do so. I wanted to include more mannerisms of her, but i'm afraid they will have to wait for chapter 3.

And yes, Rita's direct involvement is a minor additional AU deviation. I added it as it provided some nice plothooks for later.

So, what do you think? Was it a nice read? What was good, what could have been done better, and what made you personally want to kill me?

Please review to let me know!


	3. Knight of the lower quarter 1

**Brief intoduction: **

Again, I'd like to thank everyone for his or her reviews, alerts and other manners of showing support for this story. Your kind and/or constructive words give me the motivation to continue onwards!

I'd also like to thank Moonshine's Guide for helping me find the grammatical errors in chapter 2, and giving me lots of general advice on the topic. I wonder if i did better this time around.

Originally, I planned on having this chapter appear about two months ago. However, at that moment I suddenly had to deal with organizing a weekend out for around 30 people, which took away all of my available writing time.

In the following weeks, I was busy with university starting again, and combined with the fact that part of this chapter was extremely hard to write, I simply couldn't find the time to finish it. I apologize for the chapter being late, so it's slightly longer to compensate a bit. It's not as long as you might think from the word count: it jumped up by 1000 when I added the horizontal rulers (?).

**Disclamer: **I do not own tales of Vesperia, and I'm aware that the actual story was written by minds far greater than my own.

_**Nobility chapter 3: Knight of the lower quarter, part one**_

The storm shook the ship violently, and it was only by a supreme display of agility that the Red Eye was able to maintain his balance. Even as he closed the door behind him, he could hear the ongoing panicky shouting of the crewmembers.

They were quite literally fighting for both their lives and his own. He might have cursed at their combined misfortune, but years of discipline had taught him that there was no point in doing such a thing. In fact, the storm wasn't even his most pressing concern.

Right now, his mind was on the psychotic screams and bursts of laughter that were coming from below the deck. At best, they were a continuing distraction to the crew. At worst, they reminded the men of who exactly was traveling with them.

After all, no sane person was truly at ease when Zagi was around, regardless of him being locked up in an isolated mithril-reinforced prison designed specifically to contain him. The Assassin was said to have performed more logic defying feats in the past; it seemed that the rules of common sense did not apply to him at times.

Again, he wondered if this mission wouldn't have been better off without Zagi's involvement. While the man was certainly a force of destruction, he was also a liability. He had turned on his allies on several occasions, especially when his bloodlust had reached critical levels…

"HYYYAAAAAARGHHHH!!!"

…and if the screams were any indication, the unstable assassin was getting quite restless. He had to subdue him before something bad happened, such as him breaking out of his room and consequently starting a massacre among their own men.

Of course, there was a chance that the two guards stationed outside of the cell would be able to handle him, but the red eye preferred not to take any risks… not with what was at stake now. Next to that, he was sure that the captain could put those guards to good use.

He wasn't afraid to face Zagi. He supposed that he was one of the few exceptions, both in- and outside of the guild, that were unaffected by his insanity. Fear was something he had forgotten long ago; it was a mental mechanism that urged someone to not to seek out danger.

However, as an assassin, danger was a part of his daily life. Ever since he had buried his sense of self-preservation, his assignments had seemed that much easier. Without fear, he was focused. When focused, he was deadly.

Some said that he was too devoted to his tasks for his own good, but he knew that those were words of those who were not meant to excel at this craft. He was still alive, and he had succeeded on missions others would not even consider accepting.

Whether his target was a wealthy merchant or the head of a powerful guild, his skill and devotion had always served his guild well… so well, in fact, that he had given an exceptionally great honor: to oversee the assassination of Yuri Lowell.

Succeeding would bring endless fame to both the Guild and himself, but he knew that that was not the main goal of the overall mission, and neither was it his personal one.

If Yuri Lowell died, the only remaining person with a claim to the imperial throne would be Ioder. If everything had gone as planned, the prince would now be his master's prisoner, courtesy of the Blood Alliance and their mutual 'friends' in the royal military.

With Ioder captive, and with the empire still recovering from the last great war with the Guilds, how far would the empire's regents go to ensure that no harm came to their last hope for a unified leadership? How much would they give, and how many demands would they meet?

He grimaced. They would do whatever was asked of them. The current regents of the empire were usually weak and/or corrupt. Many prominent and popular leaders had lost their lives in the battles of the last war, and more than a few of their positions had been assigned to far less capable and integer replacements, usually coming from the imperial Council.

Perhaps it was better that way as well. This operation wouldn't have been possible without their support, or more accurately, their greed. Even among the higher-ranking members of the council, there were enough fools that had been all too willing to gently push the more naïve prince into their trap… all for the sake of their wallets.

He wondered if they had even thought of the potential long-term consequences of their actions. If they had, they probably had a plan that allowed them to personally benefit from Ioder's disappearance. He supposed it mattered little though… they were easy to control, and if any of them became a problem, they would be dealt with accordingly.

The assassin briefly interrupted his train of thought as he came to the stairway leading down to the lower decks. Normally he would have silently glided downwards, but the storm made such a simple task far more dangerous than it should have been.

Thus, he took care not to get thrown around, and consequently, injured. He personally didn't mind to get hurt, but it could have an unfavorable influence on the outcome of the mission.

Soon afterwards, he entered the lower deck, which contained the cell that held Zagi. Despite focusing more on moving carefully rather than stealthily, he still tried to stay hidden. He knew it was probably unnecessary, but a certain degree of paranoia could be healthy at times.

If worst came to worst and the insane assassin somehow escaped before he got there, being hidden could prove to be quite vital. Thus, he moved as quickly as he could under the cover of the shadows. They were like his friends in a way: regardless of where he went, they were always there to aid him and hide him from harm.

It was a bit ironic really, to be forced to conclude that lifeless things were far more reliable than colleagues. Perhaps he would not have felt that way if the empire hadn't taken his brother from him in the last great war… but there was no point in musing about the past.

He drew nearer to the cell and took out his poisoned blades, taking care to quickly cover the flat sides beneath his lower arms. It would prevent them from reflecting any light towards the front. As always, the sharp and unpleasant scent of the Moriria based poison reached his nose, and as always, he ignored it.

Sometimes, he wished that it wasn't such an important ingredient for many potent poisons. While it was always a possibility that a combatant used poisoned weapons, the scent of that particular flower was a dead giveaway to just about anyone with a functional sense of smell.

'_Well, It's not like Zagi doesn't know that all of us use poisoned weapons, despite his insanity.'_

Speaking of which…

Although the screams were still coming from the same direction, he still glanced around the corner carefully.

Indeed, the cell was still sealed shut, and the two guards were still at their posts. To their credit, they had their weapons drawn and were taking the threat of Zagi breaking out as a realistic one.

To their discredit, they were in full view, and they paid no attention to anything other than the door. In actual combat, only paying attention to your direct opponent was highly dangerous. He hoped they would not make that same mistake in the coming mission… if they ever reached the imperial capital.

He did not want to dwell on that possibility though, and made his way over to the guards. He could see them flinch every time Zagi's psychotic cries resounded throughout the hallway. They were afraid… but at least understandably so. Still, he was a bit disappointed that he managed to reach them without either of them noticing.

They were his subordinates, after all.

"…Report," he demanded.

With a start, they both spun around to face him. They immediately tried to salute him formally, which looked a bit odd with them clutching the weapons in their hands tightly. Well, at least they had enough of their wits left to respond to his presence swiftly and correctly.

"S-Sir! We… Zagi…and the prisoners-"

"O-oh, sir! Please forgive us for-."

He interrupted them with a wave of his hand. Well, perhaps they _did_ need a moment to regain their wits… perhaps he had underestimated the effect Zagi had on his men. Though he was not very familiar with these two, all the assassins that had been assigned to him were supposed to have at least some degree of experience.

Regardless of this relative unfamiliarity, he was still able to tell them apart by the differences in their stances and posture. Other than for those characteristics, all the Red Eyes, including himself, outwardly all looked the same, with their dark blue outfits and gray and red facial masks.

He decided to address the smaller one, Cut, First.

"Don't ask me for forgiveness, just know that you won't be able to ask your enemy for the same. In Zaphias, keep your guard up at all times, understood?"

The smaller assassin hastily nodded.

"Good," he continued as he turned to face Gash, the larger brother of the other assassin. "Now, what did you say about Zagi and the prisoners?"

The man hesitated a moment before answering. "Sir. This morning, Zagi… started to become restless. We tried to subdue him by bringing him more prisoners to kill, but this time it didn't work! Maybe if we had more of them… but we ran out shortly. It wasn't long before he started scream-"

"GARROTE!! WHERE IS HE!? WHERE ARE YOU HIDING HIM?! WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE NOW! IT WAS PROMISED TO ME!! THE BLOOD OF A LOWELL-"

"…Before he started screaming like a market salesman desperate to sell his food before it rots," the lead assassin, Garrote, dryly finished for him. "Is there anything else worth mentioning? I was asked to come here by the captain to silence him, so I already know that he's been a bit noisy. So does the rest of the ship, and quite possibly the rest of the world, by the way."

The two men, who had immediately spun towards Zagi's prison upon hearing his last outburst, exchanged a nervous glance. Garrote tensed; they obviously had some very bad news.

"Yes," the smaller assassin reluctantly began, "After we brought him the last prisoner, we heard a loud snapping metallic noise coming from the room. We… We think he might be loose in there."

Garrote sighed. Normally he would have questioned the sanity of someone making such a claim, but this was Zagi. Breaking a mithril chain with his bare hands seemed to be right up his alley. With him being loose, there was no avoiding a fight now… and since he also had a chain to fight with, the chances of being critically injured had just increased dramatically.

Well, at least he was aware of it beforehand. He had to give the men some credit for performing their task well, regardless of them knowing that Zagi was loose and armed. On the other hand, one of them could have left to inform him earlier… but he decided to ignore that. Being overly harsh was always bad for morale.

"WHERE IS HE?! I'LL TEAR-"

"All right," he said, ignoring Zagi. "You did well in keeping him quiet as long as you could. It's unfortunate that we had to use the last of our prisoners, but I guess it was unavoidable. See if you can assist the captain, I'll make sure the crew will not be bothered again."

The other two did not leave immediately. Perhaps their loyalty the guild, and consequently to him, prevented them from doing so. "But boss, you're not going to fight him alone, right? Are you … sure you don't want us to help you?"

Even if Garrote had been convinced that they were capable enough to face Zagi, the very reluctant way in which Gash said this was enough reason to reject the offer. A scared combatant was a lousy one, regardless of his skill.

"Are you sure you're able to fight him calmly and skillfully, and to the death if necessary?" he countered. "If not, leave now. Any slip or hesitation could lead to all our deaths."

There was no reply.

"I'm better off by myself, then," he finished with a tone of finality. "If I die, and you hear Zagi closing in, barricade the deck with whatever you can find. The mission does not change."

Seconds later, he was alone again, staring at the metal door of the cell. He noticed that for the first time in the last few hours, it was quiet, with the storm far less audible and the screams having come to a momentary halt. Zagi was probably waiting for him…

He took out his keys and proceeded to slowly approach the door from the side, blade at the ready.

And he opened the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the imperial capital city of Zaphias, Estelle had just finished her meal and was preparing to leave her apartment. The two large bowls of miso soup she had eaten, along with her long and uninterrupted slumber, had revitalized her fully. Looking back, she was glad that her friend had forced her to eat and rest.

She felt determined. First, she would deal with the tax collectors, and stop them from randomly taking whatever they wanted from those unable to pay the increasingly high taxes, as they seemed to think was their right.

Unlike practically everyone else who lived around here, she knew the law. As far as she knew, apart from herself, only the elders had varying degrees of knowledge on the subject. If it were up to her, no loophole or gray area a crooked official came up with would ruin the lives of poor citizens today.

Sadly though, preventing them from taking the last of what those people had was not the most important reason for going there. The main threat, as Gwenn had reminded her, was that of a possible fight breaking out.

With the taxes growing higher over the last few years, and without them receiving anything in return, the people of the lower quarter had been growing increasingly discontent. The only real things the government _had_ ever given them were a few warehouses that were allowed to sell untaxed food products, but those had been here for ages.

The way things were going, one of these days, something would trigger them into taking violent actions… and a few overly ambitious tax collectors were perfect examples of such things. A fight could well turn into a riot, which would lead to a fight between the lower quarter and the military, something they couldn't possibly hope to win.

From what her friend had been able to see, elder Hanks had been reasonably successful in containing the water, at least so far. Therefore, she had to agree that helping the other elders in keeping the peace was more important right now.

Still, now that she thought about the whole situation, with both the fountain, the taxes and the missing protection or privileges that the wealthier citizens had taken into account, she felt distinctly uneasy.

Sometimes, she wondered if someone was deliberately trying to make life miserable for them in order to try and provoke a rebellion. However, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what someone could possibly hope to gain by causing the deaths of so many innocent civilians…

No, she insisted to herself, she was being paranoid; someone in the government would be smart enough to see something like this coming, and would take steps to prevent it. Today, _she_ would try and contribute to making sure it wouldn't happen, just like elder Hanks would have done.

Yes, everything would go all right, and after that, she would immediately set out to recover the aqua blastia. It was her fault it had been stolen, and it was up to her to reclaim it. No matter where Rita was hiding, she would find her and take the stone from her, with force if it was necessary… even if the thief had already left the city.

She owed that much to the others living here. If she didn't go, she wasn't sure if she could ever face the others, if they ever found out that she had been the one that had allowed the blastia to be stolen.

If possible, she would also force her to repay the money that the elder had collected to hire her, perhaps even a little more. Someone rich enough to carry around melange gels could most likely afford to repay everyone for the trouble she had caused.

Before setting out to do anything though, she had to equip herself properly, and as quickly as possible.

First, she put on her undergarments and her white dress. During the two years that she had it, a few hard to notice but irremovable bloodstains had gradually appeared on it, but she didn't really care about those that much.

Although she tried to never wear it while working, as a doctor, there were times that you suddenly had work to do. On some of those occasions, it was pretty much impossible to avoid getting a bit of the patient's blood on you…and in those cases, that wasn't even remotely her main concern.

No, what mattered was that this was her most comfortable dress, and the one that she would prefer to wear if she was ever forced into a fight. It was also by far the cleanest one she had, and despite its all its plainness, it did look a tiny bit regal.

With some luck, wearing it would help tricking a tax collector into believing that she was an important person around here, and increase the chance that they would listen to her. For a moment, she considered the possibility of actually pretending to be an elder, but immediately decided against it.

Apart from being far too young to come across as one, she was quite sure that impersonating an elder would gain her a rather severe reprimand from the actual elders later, regardless of why she did it. There were rules that she had to follow, just like everyone else living in the lower quarter.

Next, she attached her sword belt, and hung her shield on it as well. It was a habit really, to take them along wherever she went. After her time in the military, she felt quite vulnerable whenever she didn't have them with her. Also, in this neighborhood, it was common sense to have a good means of defending yourself, especially if you had to frequently go out at night to visit patients.

As for the gear itself, her sword and shield were the only pieces of equipment from her time in the knights that she still possessed. However, neither of them outwardly looked like items a knight usually carried.

Instead of the blue and golden paintwork that was usually found on their scabbards, this one was completely covered in dull gray. The same was true for the shield, which did not carry its traditional drawing of a weighing machine surrounded by the symbols of the great houses that had or had once had a rightful claim to the imperial throne.

She was grateful for having received them as a gift, but she had repainted them as soon as possible. Next to not wanting to be reminded of her time in the knights, there were some who disliked the knights as a whole, and for good reason as well, she now realized.

Turning her attention back to packing her gear, she pulled a small leather backpack out of her closet and filled it with a few medical items: two packs of apple gel, an orange gel, a potent all-purpose antidote, a couple of bandage rolls and a small pack of ointment.

She brought along the final two items more out of habit than anything else; if it came to a fight, they couldn't be used swiftly like the gels. Their only potential use was for treating an injured person without having to resort to magic or relatively expensive items, saving energy and money for when it was really needed.

Finally, she added a bottle of drinking water and a small bundle of money. She deliberately didn't want to wear the money on her belt; it had mysteriously vanished from her once before, and that had been the last time she had taken it along in full view. This way, it was far harder to steal, and it might make a potential thief unsure as to whether or not she actually had any on her at all.

As for food, she decided to just add some slices of bread. She didn't want to waste time by cooking something fancy to take along with her. If she had to leave the city to chase Rita, she could always buy more ingredients or a meal somewhere along the way.

She couldn't immediately think of anything else to take along, and turned around to ask her friend if she might have forgotten anything. Before she finished moving though, her eyes fell on her reflection in the mirror, and she paused.

For a brief moment, she was filled with a memory of her asking her father a similar question, as she had been packing to move to her new 'home' in the barracks. Back then, she had been so excited about her acceptance into the knights, and so absorbed in how nice her uniform looked in the mirror, that she hadn't even noticed that her dad had been quite sad to see her go.

That was about… four years ago, wasn't it? Everything had seemed so much nicer before the war…

"Estelle? You look… lost, child. Are you all right?" Gwenn asked, concerned.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," the younger doctor replied, snapping out of her daze. "Yes, I'm fine!" she continued, trying to sound energetic and confident. "It was nothing, just something I remembered from long ago. I was just about to ask you if you could think of something that I had forgotten to pack."

Her colleague was quiet for a moment, and Estelle was sure that she had her reservations on it 'being nothing'. Still, everything relating to her time in the knights was something she didn't really like to discuss with anyone. There was no time for it now, anyway.

"Well, while I'm not an expert on what to bring for long marches and travels, I would however urge you to wear something to cover your feet, preferably a pair of boots," her friend replied, slightly humoristic, and apparently deciding not to ask further.

Estelle looked down and flushed a light shade of red. Yeah, that was pretty solid advice, and she immediately followed it. The brown leather boots she possessed didn't match her white and gray outfit at all, but they were far more practical for any travel she might have to do.

"You know Estelle, I can understand that you feel as if all of this is your fault," Gwenn began, back to her usual tone of seriousness, "But you need to realize that it was a coincidence that you ran into the thief at all. If you hadn't been there, the blastia still would have been stolen."

"I had a chance to stop her. I allowed it to be taken because I was naïve enough to believe someone who had tried to _kill me_ moments before that. I even wished her _good luck_," the younger woman countered, momentarily tying up her boots with a lot of unnecessary force.

Gwenn sighed. "Regardless, _you_ don't have to chase her, child. You do enough for everyone here as it is, I'm sure the elders can find someone else to retrieve the stone… perhaps even a group of people. Preferably someone whose absence will not be felt as much as yours."

Estelle looked up at her, slightly surprised. It was rather unlike Gwenn to complement anyone, let alone so directly.

"But, if we did that," she started, "I would have to explain how I know who stole the blastia… I'm sure that anyone who hears the real story will agree that I should be the one going after her, and I'm not that good of a liar."

She paused for a moment, putting on her backpack again and started moving towards the door. They could talk outside while walking; it would save some time for later.

"Also," she continued, "Do you know of anyone else able to follow her quickly _and_ survive outside of the town barrier? I don't think that many others here have experience in fighting monsters."

"First, you can't ever be completely sure of what the elders would decide," Gwenn reminded her while catching up. "Secondly, I truthfully do not know how many persons here can defend themselves properly out there, but I do know of one at least. Rumor has it that yesterday, Sergeant Flynn-"

"No!" the pink haired healer immediately interrupted, uncharacteristically harshly. Realizing that her friend was only trying to keep her safe, she immediately calmed down and apologized.

"Sorry, I… thanks for your concern, but I don't want anything to do with him. And _I_ feel like _I_ have to do this, and I'll do it on my own."

"Hmpf. I do not know what has transpired between the two of you, child, and neither is it a concern of mine," the graying woman added in response to a glare from her younger colleague. "But I do know that you were friends once, and that he is one of us. He also has more fighting experience than anyone else here, including you."

She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sure that if you were willing to momentarily put whatever it is you have against him aside, he would help you. He came back yesterday, so he should still be in the castle. I would feel a lot better about you heading off into danger again if you at least had one capable person accompanying you."

"Again, thanks for your concern, but I _will_ _not _ask for, or accept, his help," Estelle insisted. "I _don't_ see him as one of us anymore. He will put whatever needs the military has over ours, and abandon us in a heartbeat if he has to make a choice!"

Realizing that she was about to start a tirade in the middle of the street, she immediately dropped the topic. "Look, there's a chance Rita is still in the city and that I won't have to travel at all. However, if I do need to leave, I promise you that I'll be fine."

"Yesterday, you said the same thing before you left, child… you almost died," Gwenn replied, looking away.

This was followed an uncomfortable silence, as the younger healer didn't really know how to respond. Last night, she had been exhausted…but she _had _almost been killed. _Was_ she dangerously overestimating herself?

"Estelle! Gwenn!" a familiar voice cried out, saving Estelle from having to reply. Both women spun around to see Tom running towards them, clearly looking distressed. Wait… Tom was distressed? No… did something… happen to the baby, or to Denise? The thought provoked a feeling of panic.

_'Please don't let that be, not on the one day I won't be able to go there!'_

"Thomas Merringer? Why are you here? Aren't your wife and child in good health?" the elder woman asked, beating Estelle to the question.

"N-No, they… they're fine," the man replied, panting heavily. "I'm so glad I found you here… you… you need to come with me, right now! Something horrible is happening!"

"Why? What's-" Estelle began, momentarily relieved by hearing his family was safe.

"Horrible things are happening all around us, child," said Gwenn, cutting her off and addressing the man with a hint of coldness in her voice. " We were about to go and assist the elders in dealing with the tax collectors…"

"But that's why I came to get you!" the young father cried out. "It's them… but it's unlike the other times. This is far worse… they're closing down the food warehouses, and are arresting anyone that protests! They even got one of the elders!"

He balled his fists in anger. "And they say it's on prince Ioder's orders," the man spat out.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yuri apologized half-heartedly upon entering the office with Repede. "There were a few people I had to blackmail first, but now I'm more than ready to stand trial for my horrendous crimes."

In front of him, a middle-aged woman with copper colored hair was sitting behind a large and beautifully carved desk. She was busy studying a number of files, and did not respond to his attempt at humor, nor did she acknowledge his presence in any other way.

Behind him, two royal guards followed him inside and proceeded to close and guard the entrance. They were dressed in their usual mostly black uniforms, with a bit of added gold for the lining and a couple of patterns.

Overall, their clothing combined with their imposing equipment probably made them look rather intimidating. However, as Yuri had grown up surrounded by them, he wasn't really affected by it. If anything, he respected them for their overall discipline and skill.

…Unless they were out to capture or discipline him, of course. In that case, they were highly annoying.

For instance, the two guards now guarding the entrance, along with two others that had stationed themselves in the hallway outside, had stuck to him like glue for most of the day. They had even followed him into the _bathroom_, and had been very 'helpful' in pointing out spots that he had forgotten to wash.

Even the few yards of personal space they were giving him now were a rather welcome relief.

For minutes, no one spoke a word. Lisa, the swordswoman behind the desk, was seemingly intent on giving him a taste of his own medicine. Well, if he was honest with himself, he probably deserved it, as he _had _delayed this conversation for hours.

Not willing to be the one to give in and break the silence, he took his time casually glancing around the room. Apart from the desk, the room was mostly sober, with its furniture simple and practical.

What did draw attention, were the many medals and declarations of honor that hung on the walls. To qualify for this position, you needed to have quite an impressive service record, and this woman wasn't exactly an exception.

Another noteworthy item in the room was a beautiful and glowing yellow flower that was encased in glass. From his upbringing, he immediately recognized it as a Moriria, a highly poisonous flower whose fragrance he was always supposed to watch out for whenever he dined.

He had never gotten around to asking why she had it, or why it was enchanted. Usually, he was too preoccupied with whatever lecture or punishment he received here, for reasons such as successfully escaping the castle.

Oh well, he didn't really care too much about why it was here, as long as its owner didn't force him to eat it or anything. She had probably considered it on some occasions.

"I hope, for your sake, that whatever you were really doing was highly useful and productive," the captain of the guard finally began, putting the files to the side. "I don't really appreciate having to reschedule my entire day to wait for you to show up, especially when there are important matters that we need to discuss."

"It's nice to know that you care about my well-being so much," the prince began, "but there's no need to worry. I'm sure the results will save me from your wrath."

By now, Lisa's piercing green eyes were fixated on him. He remembered that the first he came here on a similar visit, that look alone had been enough to make him cringe. Over the years though, he had gotten used to it. She was even likeable, most of the time.

"Really," she said icily, "Because your tone is not really helping you achieve that. What exactly _have _you been doing, then?"

"Hey, I already told you," said Yuri, grinning. "I've been blackmailing a few people here and there. And quite successfully too, I might add."

"Is this true, Marcus?" Lisa asked wearily, turning towards the unusually large guard standing by the door.

"Actually, it is, my Lady," the man answered, without moving from his post. "And I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that we were quite amazed at the efficiency and creativity that he employed while doing so."

He turned towards Yuri and threw him a look of disapproval. "Regardless, I would say that he is severely lacking in manners towards us, and even more so towards you."

The woman closed her eyes slowly. "So it seems," she said, her voice dangerously neutral. "Please leave us alone for a moment. Apparently I need to force some sense into him… again."

*Whine*

"And take Repede with you," she added. "There is no reason for him to be here."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, buddy." Yuri reassured him softly.

*Snort*

'_Great, thanks for the vote of confidence…_'

The prince could almost _feel _the guards grinning as they slowly left the room. It wasn't until they had closed the door behind him that Lisa opened her eyes again, continuing to glare daggers at him.

He was about to say something when she held up her only hand, commanding him to be silent. The ex instructor of the knights then took a small blastia from one of her drawers, and activated it. It immediately filled most of the room with a soft blue light.

"I do not wish for anyone to listen in," she explained, turning back to Yuri. "First, I should give you a much needed lecture on not risking what is left of your reputation by openly blackmailing people. What you decide to do with your public image really isn't my concern though."

"What _does _concern me however," she immediately went on, "Is what could possibly have been going on in your head when you decided to _break into the military archives. _I couldn't have blamed anyone for shooting you on sight, with all that blood on you."

"Hold on," the prince cut in. "Before we get into that, what makes you so sure it was me?" he asked, genuinely curious.

In response, the veteran swordswoman wordlessly opened another drawer, and took out a small, mostly round rock. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Inwardly, Yuri cringed. He had taken the pervert's arrow with him, but had forgotten to look for the stone he had used to knock him out…

"Do you happen to know of anyone else able to make it in there unseen, who carriers around stones like these, and who happened to be missing from his room for almost the entire night?" she went on, dryly.

"…_And_ who would do that mostly on Sergeant Flynn's behalf?" she finished while gesturing towards a certain file on her desk. "Oh, and that is even ignoring the key that Preston found in your-"

"Ok, ok, I got it already!" Yuri exclaimed, grinning sheepishly and throwing up his hands in mocked surrender. "Hey, I was only curious. Besides, it wasn't that dangerous. The few guards I did come across were mostly too concerned with etiquette to be paying much attention."

The one handed woman in front of him slightly raised an eyebrow, the only outward sign that she was even remotely interested in what he had just said.

"So maybe we should talk about something more relevant, such as what I managed to dig up today," he continued, trying to change the subject. He didn't like being reminded on how many things he had overlooked.

Maybe he had been more tired, and consequently sloppier, than he had thought…

"In a moment," she agreed, in a slightly gentler tone. "I want you to be aware of how lucky you were that you managed to shift the blame to that other man. Commandant Alexei himself is treating this as a matter of national security, claiming the archives had been infiltrated by a guild spy."

_'So the old man was really from the Guilds…'_

"…You're also quite lucky that I don't have the time to discipline you accordingly," Lisa's voice resounded, immediately pulling him out of his thoughts. "You're not exactly making my job easy for me."

"What, having those guys harass me in the bathroom wasn't punishment enough?" Yuri asked, slightly annoyed.

"No, definitely not," she immediately replied. "You know full well what you're risking by putting yourself in danger unnecessarily. What is a little humiliation compared to a potential power struggle between the great houses? Some of them would immediately begin preparing for war the moment they heard that either you or Ioder were dead."

The black haired prince sighed and looked away to the side. There was no denying what she said… and as soon as the great houses showed any sign of massive internal conflict, the military and the council would start taking sides.

In the absence of an emperor, the knights and the imperial government served the houses as a whole. He could easily see them falling apart into a few large groups, each supporting the claim to the throne of a different house, or a different group of houses… and then…

No. There was no way he was going to let that happen, he promised himself. Ioder _would_ be fine, he _would_ be rescued, and then he would make sure that his cousin became emperor as soon as possible.

"You're right," he finally said, completely serious. "So what we need to be doing is getting Ioder back to us. I gathered some information that might help us do that. Will you hear me out on this?"

Apparently satisfied with his confession, at least for now, the swordswoman nodded her head. "Very well, what was it that was so valuable that it would 'save you from my wrath', in your words?"

"Well, it relates to the files I shoved under your door last night. I guess you studied them all?" the prince asked.

"Yes, and the double files make it very clear that some military records are being switched with a forged one before they are reviewed. I think there is enough evidence here to demote a fair number of people, if not discharge them outright."

She focussed her attention on one particular file. "And if this is Flynn's real record, he should have had a higher rank than sergeant by now. By the way," she continued, "how did you manage to find those files? The archives are a huge place to go through, and I can't imagine that they weren't hidden in some way."

"I owe that to Repede, mostly," Yuri responded. "There was a locker that was quite well-hidden behind a part of the wall that was blocked by a bookcase. A not too bright clergyman was keeping a bottle of wine in there, and Repede was able to smell it. After that, finding and opening it was easy."

"I see," said Lisa, with a hint of approval in her voice. " But while I do look forward to, for instance, captain Cumore being demoted, I do not see how this relates to Ioder's disappearance…"

"It doesn't do so directly," he admitted, "but what I found there gave me an idea. Next to those military files, there were also a couple of double files belonging to some of the clergy who worked there… so I decided to have a little talk with them."

"Meaning you were blackmailing _them_ this morning," she surmised. "I hope you were at least a bit discreet in doing so… you do not want the commandant connecting you to the break-in."

"Yeah, I already thought of that. So instead of going there myself, I bribed a few of the servant girls and pages to lure them to me," the prince explained. "And don't worry about them… they tend to be as silent as the grave, as long as you pay them for it."

"It's still dangerous if it ever does come out, Yuri… but I shouldn't be the one to remind you."

"Even if it does come out, it won't matter," he replied with determination. "Ioder _will_ make it to emperor, and everyone will be _awed_ by how perfect he is. That's what I'm going for: I dirty my hands so that he can keep _his _clean. And then all will be fine."

"…Anyway," he went on, " Once the clergy realized that they were trapped in a room with four very intimidating royal guards, a demon hound, and a highly annoyed prince waving evidence in their face, they _suddenly_ became very helpful."

"I can imagine," she said dryly, finding the image rather amusing despite her reservations. "So what exactly did they tell you?"

"I pressed them for names. I figured that the people whose files I found in the locker couldn't be the only people they were forging, or had forged for."

He paused for a moment, half expecting a question or an interruption. "I was also kind of interested in who exactly was paying them to do that, since I didn't think all those soldiers could have afforded hiring them to do anything that dangerous. I figured that clergy who forged their own files had to be greedy types of persons."

The prince then took a folded piece of paper out of his beautiful black and purple robe, and gave it to her, continuing to share his findings as he did. "Most of these names don't ring a bell, but there are a few that are very interesting, especially…"

"Ragou," she finished for him, staring at the list. "Regent of Capua Nor, the city Ioder was supposed to be visiting. He was one of the persons paying them?"

"Yes, which makes me wonder… what does a highly ranked member of the council gain by paying clergy to forge _military_ files?" he questioned.

"I don't like where this is going," the swordswoman admitted, taking a closer look at the names in front of her. "Nor do I like that some of the knights on this list were in Ioder's guard when he left."

She glanced over at the prince. "You don't seem surprised to hear that. Why?"

"That's because there are a couple of names on the back of that list that I _am _personally familiar with," he replied.

Upon reading them, the woman's eyes widened slightly, which was probably as close to a reaction of pure shock as Yuri could have gotten out of her. "They're…" she began.

"…Royal guards," Yuri finished for her. "Those two happened to be with Ioder when he came to say goodbye. From all of this," he went on with a touch of sarcasm, "I think he _might_ have been set up."

"…You're sure that this information is accurate, and that the clergy didn't just make it up to get out of that room?" asked Lisa, after taking a moment to consider this.

"Yeah, I'd say it is," the prince replied off handedly. "The one who gave me those particular names… well… peed himself out of fright. If he was lying, he did so _VERY_ convincingly."

For a second, he thought back to that memorable moment. "The clergymen were also highly grateful to me for not hanging them, and thanked me profusely for being such a benevolent person. Well, what can I say, I live to serve my subjects."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I see. In that case, I'll find out what I can about these people in preparation for tonight. In the meantime," the black clad woman went on, "continue your… 'studies'. Just don't tell me what exactly you're going to do. That way, I won't have to punish you."

To this, Yuri performed a deep and flamboyant bow, almost perfectly imitating the one the servants usually gave him. "Like I said, I live to serve my subjects."

The woman in front of him smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Just get out before I regret giving you a day of free reign."

With that, he turned and left.

* * *

The captain of the guard watched him leave with a slight feeling of remorse. The boy had so much raw talent; it was a waste that it couldn't be put to better use. She was convinced that he would have done well in the knights, or as a spy, if he chose not to focus on his fighting skills.

She turned to watch the flower in the case of glass. To be unable to grow, or to pursue the things you were really gifted for. Perhaps they were both trapped in a way…

… Or perhaps they weren't. Flynn was teaching him how to fight properly, and it didn't seem like he needed anyone to tell him how to break into high-security archives, for example.

Regardless, she couldn't truly compliment him on how well he had performed. She was convinced that boosting his ego in such a way was literally dangerous to many.

Again she went over the list. Although she had tried not to let it show, the possibility of corruption among the royal guard was a frightening one.

_'Are these two the only ones…? And if not, why did I never notice anything?'_

**Author's notes:**

Scene one was the real roadblock when writing this chapter. I wanted to try and go into the red-eye's side of the story for their attack on Zaphias castle, and this was the result. If you're wondering about Garrote, I got the idea from the first time you fight Zagi in the game.

In the aftermath, a red eye runs up to him and sort of commands him to leave. Although he gets killed about 10 seconds later, it did made me think. What kind of a guy would be placed in command of Zagi? And how much information would he have/give on the overall plan of the opposing side? What's it like to be a red eye? How do you transport Zagi and keep him in check?

The scene went through numerous revisions before I was finally somewhat satisfied with the tempo and content.

Instead of rushing Estelle into the action, I decided to give her a bit more character development, along with expanding further on what it's like to live in the lower quarter of Zaphias. I figured there couldn't be only one elder if the slums were of a realistic size, so it was probably a system of one elder per every X inhabitants. Hmmm... so which rights and duties would an elder have?

Don't worry by the way, Estelle will have more than her fair share of action soon.

For scene three, well, I had a lot of fun writing Yuri abusing his status. Originally, I wanted this scene to be much shorter, but then I realized that someone in charge of keeping him safe wouldn't just let him endanger himself without seriously reprimanding him for it.

Well, that's about it. Again, I'd like to ask anyone to review and tell me what you liked or disliked about the chapter. I'm always seeking to improve, and kind words alone are also highly motivating.


	4. Knight of the lower quarter 2

**Brief introduction: **

I'd like to thank everyone for their (continuing) support of the story, despite my two month absense. A special thanks goes out to everyone that has reviewed one or more of the previous chapters. You show me the path to improvement, and I do my best to incorporate your advice.

I had a slight delay on writing this chapter (break-ups kill motivation), so to compensate, this chapter is longer by about 2000 words. That should take care of the reviewer telling me that the chapters were too short, right? ;) Again, if you're worrying, the chapter is about 9,200 words long, not the 11 k or something that the site indicates. I still don't know why the word count jumps up by converting or adding horizontal liners.

Finally, i tried to go for a more balanced mix between short and long paragraphs in this chapter, as there were indeed a lot of odd and unnecessary breaks in the previous one. Please let me know if you think this is an improvement.

**Disclamer: **I do not own Tales of Vesperia.

**_Nobility, chapter 4: Knight of the lower quarter (2)_**

"This… this is…" Estelle stammered.

"…Truly horrible," her friend finished for her. Situated at the top of a downward slope, they had a good view on the town square below, and what they saw was a scene that could have come straight out of a nightmare.

On the outer ring of the square, groups of villagers watched helplessly as a crew of knights, under the direction of a overly well-dressed man, systematically removed crates of food from the warehouse. On the other end, closer to the scene, a band of enraged citizens was protesting rather openly. They were held away from the tax collector only by the strength of another company of knights, who formed a protective ring around the figure and his guards.

Even as they watched, a man, presumably a young one, somehow managed to force himself past the outer barrier and charged directly at the overseer of the operation. He didn't get far, as two knights immediately stopped loading the crates of food into a wagon and intercepted him on the way. Being severely under experienced and underequipped compared to them, he was immediately and forcefully knocked down and arrested.

The way the knights handled him, along with the way they proceeded to unceremoniously throw him into a second wagon, drew cries of rage and indignation from the crowd, including some of the villagers who had been edging away from the knights at first.

"They are afraid now… but eventually they will realize that they outnumber those knights ten to one. It only takes so much anger for them to forget their fear," Gwenn said, trying to sound calm. Estelle noticed the very subtle amount of anxiety hidden in her voice, which was a very unusual finding, as her colleague was exceptionally good at hiding her emotions. The fact that she was openly worried made the situation seem even more desperate to her.

"What are we supposed to do…?" the younger healer asked, never taking her eyes off of the drama beneath them. It looked like the knights and the villagers were growing more aggressive and violent by the moment. This wasn't even close to what she had imagined to encounter before setting off… was there _any _realistic way to stop this from escalating?

'_I… feel so powerless,'_ she admitted to herself, seeing another person being subdued and arrested. Would they even remotely listen to her if she tried to talk to them, even if it was her right to demand an explanation? Or would she end up like those other citizens who had attempted to get close?

For a fraction of a second, she wondered if Flynn was somewhere among those knights. That was just about the only thing she could immediately think of that would make all of this even worse. Well, if he had kept to his empty and half-hearted promise, he wouldn't be. On second thought, she wouldn't even remotely be surprised to find him down there, attacking defenseless villagers.

"I think you have a chance at getting them to listen," Tom replied, immediately drawing a snort from Gwenn. "No, really!" he continued, "The reason they aren't letting anyone close is because they're acting on Ioder's orders, which they think puts them above the law… but it doesn't, right?"

He turned towards Estelle, who nodded absently. That was right… they were doing this on the prince's orders. But that couldn't be right, could it? '_Ioder…' _

"Then they can't refuse to let her parley," The young man explained, pointing towards Estelle. "She knows everything about the law and-"

"Just like the elder that you say was arrested earlier?" Gwenn interrupted harshly. "What makes you think Estelle will not end up just the same? Why are you so anxious to send her into-"

To Estelle, their words were growing vague. The same person she had met a few years ago couldn't possibly have caused the scene in front of her…

* * *

It had been a miserable day to many people. Throughout the entire day, rain had poured down on the forward imperial base, basically turning the camp into a large pool of mud. More importantly though, despite the rather poor visibility, there had been another large clash between the forces of the empire and the Guilds, with neither making any headway. The only real productivity of the day was in the large number of mortally wounded soldiers that were coming in, and whom Estelle was tasked to save, or rather, try to save.

Since the number of capable healers had diminished rapidly during the first months of the war, and since they were so hard to replace, she had been called away to serve at this field hospital. The work saddened her; day after day, there were so many wounded, and so many of them couldn't be helped in any way. It was just too late for them. Sure, it was to be expected in a war, and she was sure that she could tend to far more people this way, but she wasn't sure how much more of this she could bear.

What didn't help either were the delirious confessions that the dying tended to make. The last patient she had attempted to treat was now lying dead in front of her, still clutching her hand. For some reason, he thought that she was his mother… and he had wanted to apologize to her for everything. Although the nameless soldier never made it far, it was still painful to listen to. It was the same with many others; they all had a story that had ended here. Each time, out of respect for her fellow knights, she couldn't refuse listening. Maybe she should have been able to shut it all out, but she just couldn't manage it.

Her worst fear, next to losing her sanity, was having to tend to one of her friends in the same way. Most of them were out there, fighting. Every day could bring plenty of opportunities for them to lose their lives… if they hadn't already. How many of them were still alive? _Were _any of them still alive?

What she really wanted… no, what she really _needed_ was a successful escape from this place, followed by a very long visit to her father. She missed him desperately; she just wanted to talk to him, or even just to anyone she knew…

"You! You're a healer, right? Please, you need to look at-"

The young healer wearily looked up to see who was talking to her. It took her a moment to process what she saw. A young man with blond hair and blue eyes was holding what looked like a bundle of rags, and was speaking to her with a sense of urgency.

'_Flynn? No, I'm imagining things… he's too young… and he isn't a soldier, but a civilian. How did he get in here?_'

In the end, that didn't really matter. She was forbidden to help him, so she decided to interrupt him before he got any false hope. "I'm sorry, but this is a military hospital… I can only treat soldiers here. If you are wounded, you'll have to let yourself be tended to by non magical means outside, and then head for the nearest city."

The words were distant and heartless. Even as she said it, it felt distinctly wrong. But it were her orders…

"You could have expected such, your highness," a second, yet familiar voice sounded. "If you had listened to me in the first place, we wouldn't be out here at all. This is far closer to the front than someone such as yourself should be under any circumstances!"

The man turned around, and stood up to the woman behind him defiantly. Estelle couldn't see her as the man was blocking her from view. What she did see however was that the Flynn look-alike wore a beautiful, yet dirty robe, with a large symbol on the back. It seemed familiar in some way…

"My advisors have advised me to come here, to learn about the meaning of war and to raise the morale of the troops. I agreed with them, and still do," he retorted. "As for her, we couldn't leave her there, could we? That act would have been barbaric."

"Forgive me for my language, your highness, but your advisors can _kiss my ass_, " came the reply, with unquestionable irritation. "My only concern is your safety, and for the first time in my life, I wish you had followed your _cousin's_ example and stayed at the castle! Whatever minor effect your presence here has is not worth the risk, nor is coming even closer to danger for that girl's sake."

He took a few steps to the side, and Estelle made eye contact with the woman behind the man. Recognition was mutual, but is was the younger woman who spoke first. "Instructor Lisa? Why are you here…? Why are you calling him 'your highness?' "

Of course, she could have just assumed that her instructor really was here, escorting one of the remaining young heirs to the throne on some insanely dangerous field trip to the battlefield, but it seemed far more likely that she had really lost her sanity. If she received no answer, she would just ignore the whole thing and triage the next few patients, knowing this wasn't real.

Her instructor's face was filled with a mix of disbelief and deep concern. It might have been a clue that she really was imagining things, as she had never seen her instructor look worried. Not even once. But… she was just as surprised to see her here. Could this actually be real? Then… that man was… oh no, had she really just openly embarrassed one of the legal heirs to the throne?

She glanced around quickly. The few other healers were seemingly too busy to pay any attention to who exactly entered and left the barracks. The soldiers close to them were either unconscious, sleeping, or dead. There wasn't much that indicated the environment was aware of the two people in front of her.

"Estelle? Oh god, are you all right? You look…" the black clad woman hesitantly began.

_Not too well, probably_, the healer inwardly finished. Apart from not having too much time to spend on her appearance, she felt quite miserable and was sure that at least part of it showed. At best, it was probably a highly unfitting appearance for being in the presence of a prince. It was a bit of childish line of thought, she realized, but this was one of the possible future emperors…

"I'm fine… I'm just a bit overworked." It was a blatant lie; she didn't see what good admitting how she really felt would do to anyone here, even if they were able to deduce it from the way she looked. It would just worry her instructor and her charge, and they weren't able to help her anyway. Neither of them was a part of the normal military.

The lieutenant of the royal guard didn't believe her for a second. "No, you're not fine. How long have you been here? I can't believe they would give someone as young as you this task…"

"Instructor? You're… really here, right?" she asked. Upon hearing this, the swordswoman took a few steps closer to her, and for some reason Estelle felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry… It's… just that you appearing along with an heir to the throne seems so out of place and sudden."

The older woman extended her arm and placed one of her hands on the healer's forehead. "You're not feverish," she sighed out of relief. "Estelle, first, I'm not your instructor anymore. And yes, I'm really here. I'm traveling with the remains of my unit to escort our noble prince on an equally noble suicide mission."

Ignoring the obvious dislike of his protector for this mission, the momentarily forgotten prince decided to try again. "Um, lady Estelle? Could you please look at this girl?" he asked, gesturing towards what she had at first believed to be a bundle of rags. "We found her laying next to the road while we were withdrawing from the front. Our own healer is exhausted."

Despite the situation, she almost had to laugh. Lady Estelle? And did a prince just humbly ask a commoner to do something? The moment passed quickly though, as she realized that he was trying to save a little girl and that she wasn't helping. "I… can look at her, but I can't heal her. Lieutenant Cumore, the commander of this camp in the absence of the colonel, gave strict orders to only tend for soldiers who need medical attention. Anyone who doesn't follows those orders is punished severely."

Her instructor muttered something under her breath. It sounded suspiciously much like 'That would explain multiple things here'.

Ioder immediately nodded. "Thank you. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated."

They laid the girl down on an empty part of one of the couches, and any doubt that Estelle still had about the possibility of this being an illusion immediately disappeared. Next to being very young and severely underfed, the girl was wearing a symbol of the guilds… she belonged to the enemy.

The healer turned to the prince standing beside her. "Why… why are you trying so hard to help her?" It wasn't that she disagreed, but she wanted to know. It was strange that such a high-ranking member of the nobility class was going out of his way to help such a poor girl… and she wasn't even one of his subjects.

"Why wouldn't I? She is just a child… and she is on the verge of death. Have you ever seen a child _this_ weakened before?"

"…Yes, your highness. There are thousands of similar children living in the lower quarter of the capital city," the words were out of her mouth before she knew it. Great, that was the second time she had offended him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, please forgive me for speaking!"

He slowly looked away, his expression unreadable. "No… you are right to remind me. I wasn't thinking clearly. Still, I cannot see why this," he said while motioned towards the girl, "should be some normal occurrence."

"It's not something that can really be prevented, your highness," the royal guard added in, while carefully watching the surroundings for any potential threats. "There will always be rich and poor citizens, and the poor have very little to come by. Having a lot of children to help working is one of the few ways to get more money for the family, regardless of the cost to those children themselves. It could also be that her parents were forced to enlist in the army and that noone could have looked after her… only the wealthier can afford for their children to be cared for."

Ioder shook his head. "I can't accept that… there should be enough money to prevent that from being necessary."

"Only if the rich can be persuaded to pay for it. And they can't, because it's not their problem. Funding the military to protect them from any potential riots is the cheaper and easier thing to do," Lisa answered, still not looking at him directly. "Your cousin would say that it's easier to talk a wolf into being a mouse than convincing the rich to part with their money."

"My cousin thinks I'm a naïve idiot, but I would rather be naïve than having to accept this as something that cannot be changed." The prince looked back to Estelle, who was still busy examining the infant girl. "Can she be saved in some way?"

The girl was weak; her pulse was irregular and faint. Her breathing was slow with an occasional gasp for air. Estelle looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. "I need a distraction, "she said.

* * *

"… a very poor way to thank her for saving your wife and baby, _child._" The tone of Gwenn's voice was so cold and threatening that it forced Estelle out of her daze. She felt slightly panicked at having lost her concentration in a critical situation. Luckily, not much time seemed to have passed.

"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't want to put her in any danger either, but what else could I have done!? I would have gone there myself, but I don't know anything about the law…" Tom sighed remorsefully. "Damn, if only that blasted Ioder hadn't-"

Anger arose deep inside of her. "Ioder is not behind this," Estelle spoke up, with supreme confidence. "Those knights are corrupt; prince Ioder would never, _ever_ order something like this!" Both her companions looked at her as if she had just grown a pair of wings. She continued speaking regardless. "I'm going down there to stop them!"

Perhaps not surprisingly, her colleague was the first to recover. "I don't know what makes you so sure of this, but please consider what is happening. On the same day, we lose both our main water supply and most of our food. I'm afraid that someone powerful is trying to push us into rebelling, and I'm not sure if going there now to stop this will prevent such a thing in the end, if you can even stop them, Estelle."

Although her friend had basically just said what she had been suspecting for a long time, she still felt compelled to try. "I'd rather be naïve and try stopping it than accepting it as something inevitable," she replied, almost directly mimicking Ioder's words.

With that, she left, leaving either of her companions unsure of what to say.

* * *

"What just happened…?" Tom asked while looking at the retreating form of the pink haired healer. Next to him, Gwenn sighed. She felt a lot older than she was supposed to be. "It wasn't clear enough, child? She is putting herself in danger for the sake of others, _again_.Just like you knew she would, which is why you came to get _her_ above anyone else, right?"

Not waiting for the answer, she slowly shook her head. "Far too many people go to Estelle whenever they need help, and she never completely turns anyone away. And I don't think she ever receives anything in return for her efforts."

Although the man really believed that getting Estelle had been the best option, he did feel guilty as he watched her draw closer to the crowd. "I… That's not what I mean. One moment, she was just as doubtful about this as you were. The next moment, she just marches in…"

"There are times I believe that she has a severely defective sense of self-preservation, if that is what you mean. It could also be that she has some superior motivation to act the way she does. Even though I have worked with her for years, there is so much I don't know about her. Sometimes, she is a mystery to me," the healer admitted.

"… Maybe we could help her in some way…" Tom went on after a moment of silence. As he watched the increasingly angry mass of people below them, an idea came to him. "Come with me, I think I know what to do."

The elder woman was skeptical, but followed him down anyway. "I appreciate the sentiment, child, but I do not think that either of us can provide any valuable assistance in this matter."

The young father took out the bundle of money that Estelle had refused to accept the previous night. "No, the two of us probably can't," he admitted, looking around for something. "But if we put this money to good use, we might be able to buy her some time."

He paused and looked around again. This time, he found what he was looking for. A few children were looking at the square from the top of a roof nearby. "Hey, little fellows!" he shouted towards them, waving the bundle of money in their direction. "How would you like to earn some extra gald for your family?"

At first, the children discussed the offer of the unfamiliar man wearily, but the lure of the money was too strong. A few moments later, a more courageous boy climbed down to meet them, though he kept his distance. "Extra gald? Is this a job? Careful if it isn't, my mother told me to 'never take money from strangers!'"

Tom nodded his head in a friendly manner. "Yes, this is a job. I'm hiring you! Do you have a lot of friends?" Gwenn raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this was going. She decided not to remark on the lack of subtlety.

"Yes I do! I'm the leader of Ted's mighty gang: Ted! The scourge of the lower quarter, we are!"

Judging by their leader, they were probably the scourge of any baked pies or breads that were left close to windows, but not much else, the healer inwardly concluded.

"Haha, all right then, crime lord Ted! I need you guys to bring around a message for me…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Estelle was coming close to the soldiers. She had slowly managed to push her way through the mass of people, to the point where there were only a few meters between herself and the barrier of side-to-side knights. Now that she was close, she was hit by the realizations of exactly how many knights had to be here. Standing that close together, it would take at least fifty knights to form a ring of that size while simultaneously unloading food from the warehouse.

She realized that it was a suspiciously high number of guards to send along on a routine tax collection, though she didn't have a lot of time to ponder on it. The crowd was progressively moving forward, pushing the knights further and further back. How long would it be until some of them drew their swords? Did they realize that they themselves were the ones directly in trouble now?

Steeling herself for the coming confrontation, she made her way to the very front, ending up slightly behind a couple of very broad men who were throwing profanities at the knights directly in front of them. Something gave Estelle the impression that this odd pair of knights was nervous. It might have been related to the weapons some of the civilians among the front row were openly displaying or gesturing with, or that men in front of her were twice as long as the shorter one and three times as broad as the longer and slender one, including their armors.

"You pieces of trash! We're the ones toiling to pay your obscene taxes, and get nothing but crap for it!" said the man to her left.

"You're supposed to be knights? You're criminals, stealing food from our families! Why I oughtta-" the man on her right took over, swinging some metallic object in a dangerous arc towards the knight. It hit his shield, and the soldier recoiled slightly.

"I say, you do not have the right to hit me! We're acting on his highness's orders, I said!" the knight cried out in indignation.

"Yeah? Well then you won't mind taking a few more hits for him then, won't you?"

"Yeah! You arrested our elder! If it's violence you want, then me and my bro here got plenty for you! Take this!"

"Ouch! Ah! I don't think they're listening, Adecor!"

"I say, Stand tough Boccos! We of the Schwann brigade shall carry out – Argh, I say, this is not good!"

"Hey, we never agreed that you -Ouch!- could give me orders?!"

This was getting out of hand. Soon the other people at the front would start following their example in attacking the knights directly. Estelle had to stop them. She reached upward to grab the shoulders of the two men… "Wait, stop this!" she shouted, trying to make herself hearable over the rumor of the crowd.

Thankfully, one of the man briefly paused his assault. "Huh? Who… ah, it's you miss Estelle. Please get yourself to safety! Me and my brother will bash a way through here in no time, and then we'll give them a taste of _real _justice!"

"Right on, bro!"

Weird… they knew her? But… she was sure she had never seen either of them before. "No, you can't! If you do that, the knights will come back to take revenge!"

"Listen to her, I say! Beware the wrath of the imperial - Ouchies! "

"Shut up!" the other man, who was using a leaded pipe, yelled at the thin and mustached knight.

"Our families need to eat, miss Estelle! And we can't stand for them arresting our elder, nor our fellow citizens!"

"Just let me try and talk to them, please!" she yelled.

"You have no right to interrupt the will of -gah!"

This was her opening. The ex-knight looked down at the form of the shorter knight, who was trying to keep most of his body covered by his shield. He was probably her best shot at this. She balled her fist and tried to sound as authoritarian as she possibly could.

"It is not my right? According to section b-101 of the seventh amendment to the first law of civilian rights, it is the right of any law-abiding citizen to inquire about the nature of a confiscation of goods, to be answered directly by the representative of the council on the site. Furthermore, according to act two of the book of criminal justice, those who are in violation to any law of civilian rights are legally punishable for their actions. Lastly, by the first act of the second law of civilian rights, there is no law that allows you to ignore the rights of any person, regardless of who gives the order to do so, whether that person is a member of the nobility class or not."

She stared intently at both the knights in front of her. "By law, you and all the other knights here are openly performing a criminal act towards us!"

If she had been paying more attention, she might have noticed that everyone in her direct vicinity, including some of the other knights further away, was now staring blankly at her. Boccos and Adecor sweatdropped, unsure of themselves for the first time in their military career.

"Hey Adecor, is she correct in…"

"I have to say Boccos, I wasn't aware of…"

"YOU WERE NOT AWARE? YOU LYING SCUM! YOU WILL LET HER PASS, RIGHT NOW!" one of the men bellowed. "THE ONLY REASON IM NOT BASHING YOUR HELMET IN IS BECAUSE SHE ASKED ME NOT TO!"

"Let her pass!"

"Yeah, let her pass!"

"You will let her speak!"

Strangely, the voices were coming from multiple directions. She glanced around. Were these people actually cheering for her?

"All right, all right I say, but only her! Everyone else, stand back, I say again!"

Estelle was afraid that response from the knight would have triggered more aggression, but the people around her did not attack, at least not immediately. Slightly confused by their behavior, she stepped forward and slipped through the barrier.

After her difficult trip through the mass of cramped up people, it was a relief to have some actual space to move around in. Now that she thought of it, it might have helped to give Gwenn and Tom her bag before setting off. Her friends… well, at least they would be relatively safe up there if she failed and this turned into a bloodbath.

Her relief didn't last long, as a pair of uninformed knights immediately charged at her with weapons drawn.

'_Do I fight? Do I try to defend myself?'_

No, she decided. She just stopped moving and waited for them. They were expecting her to have broken through and to charge at the tax collector. They wouldn't expect her to wait for them, and then they would hear her out, right?

They didn't slow down.

_'…Right?'_

She reached for her sword and shield instinctively. 'Oh No! They're going to attack anyway!'

Behind her, shouts of warning arose from the crowd. She ignored everything but the two incoming knights. To kill or seriously injure them would end any chances of ending this diplomatically… but they were almost at her. Too close to think it through. She used the first arte that came into her mind.

"Sonic Demon Fang!"

The effect was immediate. Both the knights, not expecting a girl in a dress to be a credible threat, were completely taken by surprise. The force of the thrust and of the ensuing shockwave both launched one of the knights backwards. They crashed into one of the large food crates that were being carried, causing the knights transporting those to drop them in surprise. Neither of the soldiers got back up.

For a moment, everything was silent. The rumor of the crowd subsided. The knights had stopped what they were doing. Everyone was looking at either her or the fallen knights.

'_No… did I just start what I came to prevent?' _the healer wondered in fear. She looked back, fully expecting to see the crowd bursting forward, goaded into action by this violence. Thus, she was quite surprised when the people suddenly erupted into applause. They were _really _cheering her on. Either she was very bad in guessing the logical behavior of a mob, or something very strange was happening.

The reaction of the knights was more logical, but not exactly what she had wanted it to be. Every single knight that was not holding back the crowd had his or her weapons out and was ready to advance on her at a moments notice. They were waiting for the call from one of their commanders, who were standing close to the over expensively dressed council member.

They both gave an order at the same time.

"Capture her! Use as much force as you need to!"

"Stay your blades! Do not move unless I say so!!"

The knights didn't act immediately; maybe they were unsure of whom they should listen to. Taking advantage of that moment, one of the commanders stepped forward to meet her. She immediately sheathed her sword, hoping she wouldn't need to use it further, and walked up to the officer.

"My name is Lieutenant Leblanc," he spoke. "Who are you and why are you here? That was a technique that belongs to the knights."

'Belongs to the knights? What? Everyone could use that if they had the skill to do so...'

She ignored the thought and tried to continue the illusion that she was someone of importance. It was probably the better thing to do when she had to make an officer of the knights take her seriously. "I am Estelle Heraussein, a former member of the imperial knights. By the seventh amendment to the first law of civilian rights, I claim my right to know the justification behind all of this!"

Immediately demanding to cease this operation was probably pushing it, so she decided to leave it at this for now. The Lieutenant did not immediately reply, but rather stared at her for a moment, and then did the same towards the noticeable calmer crowd. He must have thought it was better to grant her the request, as he eventually nodded. "I don't like your tone, but I will grant you your request. Come with me."

She blinked, momentarily dropping her composure in surprise. That had been far easier than had expected it to be.

The knights were still watching her wearily as she followed the Lieutenant closer to the tax collector and the other officer. Some of them even moved with her. Were they expecting her to try and take on all of them in an effort to get to the council member?

"That's close enough, Leblanc!" the small official sneered. "And what is the meaning of this intrusion? I… his highness specifically ordered anyone who interfered to be arrested immediately. The order still stands, so why do you bring this piece of trash before us?"

"Not too mention that she aggressively knocked out two of my men," the other officer cut in. "Stand aside, and I'll teach her some proper manners myself!"

It took her only a second to realize that these two were textbook examples of corrupt knights and officials. Both of them wore either extremely expensive clothing or an armor decorated with solid gold, something that wasn't even remotely part of a normal officer's equipment, regardless of his rank. They almost radiated some sense of non-existent supremacy, as though they looked down on everyone else. Anger and revulsion rose up inside her, emotions she felt only rarely. "I'm sorry, but it's not like your men gave me much of a choice!" the healer rebuked, unable to completely contain them.

In response, the officer, and some of the knights surrounding them, reached for their weapons again. This was followed by a burst of protest from the crowd. Estelle inwardly scolded herself… that had been a very bad moment to lose her temper. "Why you- you-" the corrupt knight sputtered.

"This has gone far enough, all of you!" Leblanc shouted. "This civilian has claimed her right to be informed of what gives us the authority to do this. I'm not sure why you are so hesitant to let anyone study the document, but the situation is becoming critical because of it. If you refuse, I see no other option but to withdraw the Schwann brigade from this site."

The tax collector only laughed. "Hahaha… you would abandon his highness's will? By law, that is mutiny, worthy of a demotion, if not death, Leblanc!"

"You are the ones acting in violation of the law! There is nothing that gives you the right to refuse my claim! And there isn't any section that gives you the right to punish someone for demanding to now whether his orders are real!" she added the last part to cover for Lieutenant Leblanc. Apparently, he hadn't had the opportunity or the knowledge to correctly study the legal order beforehand, as strange as that was for an officer.

The small and insidious man sneered at her. "Not anymore: last week, a law was passed that changed all of that. And since I'm a generous person, I'll let the slum's plaything have a look at the order." He took out a piece of parchment from his coat and handed it to her, his face full of disdain.

Estelle snatched the document from him, trying hard to maintain her temper. She quickly read the paper, her incredulity growing more and more as she came closer to the end.

"_By the right and sovereignty of the crown, I, prince Ioder, hereby declare that the outstanding taxes on the long since taxed food, sold in the food warehouses of the lower quarter, is to be recovered immediately. In the event that the money, currently totaling around 10.000.000 gald per warehouse, cannot be reclaimed, the tax collector is charged with confiscating as much food as possible in an effort to salvage what he or she can. _

_Given the extend of the debt, I hereby allow the official the privilege of the recently instated ninth amendment to the first law of civilian rights, which allows for immediate arrest of anyone judges to be a hindrance to the official in place._

_Signed on the fifth day of… Councilmen in attention were… The ninth amendment was approved by a committee under the supervision of regent Ragou…"_

Estelle could only stare at the paper, trying hard to make any sense of it. Long since taxed food? When did that happen? Ten million gald per warehouse? That was enough to buy entire blocks of the lower quarter! She wasn't even sure if there was that much money in all of the lower quarter combined! And what was this ninth amendment? It was a direct breach of a basic civilian right… how could something like that have ever been passed through the court?

…How could any of these knights carry out these orders? How could these men be allowed to call themselves knights?

Well, there was only one way to find out, and it wasn't a reliable one. It was by trying to get answers out of a lying council member. "Why was the right of these warehouses to sell untaxed food lifted? You are aware that the people living here are unable to pay for those foods with the normal amount of taxation, aren't you? And how long has this been in effect? No one here knew anything about this, yet you claim the warehouses owe you ten million gald each? That is an unbelievable amount of money, something that we could never afford to pay!"

The small man in front of her clasped his hands behind his back, his grin never leaving his face. He made no attempt to hide his dislike for her in his tone. "The article had gone into effect exactly two years ago, _little girl_. It has been on display in the castle for half a year prior to that, to give… people such as yourself the opportunity to object."

"On display in the castle? Citizens of the lower quarter aren't allowed into the royal quarter, let alone the castle!" the healer protested. "How were we supposed to know that law was even there!?"

She really tried to remain calm, but this whole situation was just too big of a mess. There was plenty of reason to be angry. The hard part was not giving in completely and giving the guards an excuse to arrest her right away. "It is the duty of every citizen to be aware of the law, little girl. That you and everyone else here failed to do so is your own concern." The overly pleased way the councilman said it did nothing to make that any easier. "However, we did openly announce the formulation of the law at that time, so there really is no reason to be surprised."

The swordswoman severely doubted that, but there was no way to prove that. It was his word against everyone else's, and he was the one in the government.

'_Wait… proof… I know he is lying on prince Ioder's part…_'

The slight pause in the conversation was enough for the councilman to believe he had won. "Well then, now that we have settled the legal part, I believe it's time to carry out his highness's will," he said to the officer and the guards. "Arrest her."

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second. She glanced left, noticing that Leblanc didn't know what to say either. She couldn't let herself be arrested; if she were captured, who would go after Rita? But what could she say? Most of these people seemed to be beyond reasoning. Maybe she should have seen this coming… what kind of person would willingly perform these activities in the face of a furious mass of people?

And that's when it hit her. Trying to be diplomatic didn't work, but maybe she had a chance in intimidating them out of doing this. After all, there was a bloodthirsty crowd not too far away. If she did this well, perhaps she could also get something else out of this…

"Stop this!" she shouted at the incoming knights, trying to make herself sound as imposing as possible again. "Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you continue doing this!?"

To her relief, the incoming knights did hesitate. The healer turned away from them to face the mass of lower quarter inhabitants, and gestured towards it with her free hand. "Look at them! Look at where you are! Do you think they will let you leave with the little food that belongs to them!? They-"

"Don't listen to her, men!" the corrupt officer interrupted. "They're just harmless civilians! You are armed with steel. If they get in our way, it will be easy to clear a path!"

Estelle shifted her attention to her officer himself. The notion that a commander of the knights was willing to order his men to attack unarmed civilians took away her last restraint and calm. "Harmless!? You think we are harmless!?" She slowly reached for her sword again, slowly advancing on the officer. "Let me tell you something about us. Of all the people you see there, at least half of them carry a weapon. You know why that is?"

She wasn't really asking; there was no way someone like him could even guess. "It's because at night, or sometimes even at day, many of them are forced to turn on others here, as your high taxes force them to take what isn't theirs, just to survive! Don't think that we don't know how to defend ourselves!"

Although she was slightly exaggerating, none of the knights surrounding her knew any better. They never patrolled here, after all. The same persons who had been dead set on arresting her moments ago took a few uneasy steps backwards. Even the officer in all his overly expensive armor showed signs of nervousness… it was working!

"For every knight you have here, there are at least ten armed civilians in there, with more coming every moment! And they all have one thing in common: their hate for people like you, self-righteous criminals who only care about your own wealth and rank! You have no right to call yourself a knight!" she shouted.

By now, the officer and the councilman were walking backwards, trying to keep the distance between themselves and the now armed Estelle. For the second time in the last ten minutes, the knights on the inner ring were silent. Had they really believed themselves to be safe? If so, they weren't very smart…

Could it be that these men were chosen to do this because they were expendable? No, she couldn't get distracted. "If you want to get out of here alive, you will release the prisoners and leave the food!"

She hoped that would be enough, as she didn't know what else to say. The seconds went by slowly.

"She is right!" Leblanc suddenly burst out. "As an officer, I'm putting the safety of my men first. The captain would have made the same choice! Schwann brigade, prepare to fall back!"

What Estelle wanted to do was let out a deep sigh of relief. It was good to see that at least some knights still had a sense of responsibility… even if they agreed to go on missions without extensively studying the orders.

The tax collector sputtered cries of mutiny, but they were lost among Leblanc's shouted orders. The officer realized they had lost. Without the support of the usually gullible Schwann brigade, they had too few men to continue captain Cumore's operation. He sneered at Estelle one final time. "Don't think that you've heard the last of this! As a knight, it is my duty to remove threats to public order, and you have just made yourself one of those!"

The healer didn't even bother to reply.

* * *

Estelle felt oddly detached from the scene as she watched the knights leave in a turtle formation. Unsurprisingly, the council member and the golden-clad officer had positioned themselves at the very center of it, as far away as possible from harm. They were bombarded with numerous projectiles that some angry pursuers threw at them, but she wasn't too worried about that. The knights weren't likely to be wounded in this way, and they had already decided to withdraw. A fight was unlikely.

She felt tired, not physically but mentally. That 'negotiation', if it could be called that, had been very straining on her self-control, and intimidating people into submission was not something she did often. It was probably pure luck that it had worked…

In front of her, cheering people filed out, unloading the crates and breaking open the wagon that contained the prisoners. It seemed that the knights had forgotten to unlock the door in their hurry. Wait… the prisoners! They could be severely injured if they were all captured in the same, rough manner she had seen. She immediately put her sword and shield away and started moving in the direction of the wagon, when she realized that she couldn't reach it. People were surrounding her; some trying to congratulate her, others whispering amongst each other.

"Who is she? Is she an elder?"

"Pfff, look at her, man! She's too young, not to mention way too hot to…"

"That was awesome! Did you see the way she backed those guys up against a wall?"

"Wow, she must have really told them off!"

"Fled with their tails behind their legs, they did!"

"Isn't that with their tails _between_ their legs, dear?"

"Not even Flynn is that cool!"

"I knew you'd manage it, miss Estelle!" one of the muscular brother from before cried, giving her a friendly knock on the shoulder, which almost caused her knees to buckle.

"Estelle? Is that her name?"

"Wow, you know her?"

"What? Of course I do!"

"Thank you for making them leave, miss Estelle."

"Can we eat now, dad? I'm starving…"

"We need to thank doctor Es-something first, son."

"I want to be like her when I grow up, mom! How do I get pink hair?"

Not really used to receiving this much attention, Estelle blushed slightly and muttered something about having to get to the wounded prisoner, so she wasn't making much progress in pushing herself through the elated mob.

"Give her some space!" Gwenn shouted as she emerged from the crowd. "We are healers, and we need to tend to the injured! Don't just stand there ogling over her, make yourselves useful or something!"

The younger healer was hit with a strange impulse to hug her friend. "Gwenn! What are you doing here? No, never mind that…"

"We'll talk later, Estelle. We need to make sure that the prisoners, and especially the elder, are all right," her colleague replied. "Oh… and good work, by the way. I'm sure your father would be proud of you."

Estelle didn't know what to say to that, so she was silent for the reminder of the path forward. Luckily the people seemed to have listened to her friend, as it was significantly easier to move now. Eventually they reached the prisoners, and Estelle gasped. They weren't just in bad shape; some of them had clearly visible skull fractures. She was about to use her healing artes when her friend stopped her.

"No, let me handle this."

"Are you sure? They have-"

"It's nothing some bandages and some minor gel treatment cannot handle. Besides, maybe a little pain will remind those hotheads of how reckless it was to attack a tax collector surrounded by guards alone!" she said the last part a little louder than was strictly necessary. Some of the wounded men groaned.

"Also," the elder healer continued, glancing somewhere behind Estelle, "I think someone has something to say to you."

Sure enough, behind her, one of the elders had been patiently waiting for them to finish. The woman seemed to be completely unharmed. Perhaps the soldiers had known better than to really harm her; despite her simple brown dress, this woman radiated authority and dignity far better than she herself could probably ever hope to do. She also carried some items of less expensive jewelry, which was already highly uncommon for anyone living in the lower quarter. Thieves knew better than to try stealing from an elder.

"Ah, excuse me, elder Sarah. I wasn't paying attention," she said, bowing her head in respect. Estelle didn't know all the elders, but she did know of the ones that operated close to her home. Not knowing the name of one of the people who were charged with trying to make life in the lower quarter easier for everyone would have been quite embarrassing.

The old woman waved her excuse away. "Nonsense, child. You were acting out of concern for the well-being of others. That is commendable. Raise your eyes."

And so she did. Now that the elder had appeared, the still considerable crowd of onlookers really stayed at a comfortable distance. "I was able to see what had happened from the wagon, and on behalf of the community, I thank you, Estelle Heraussein, for the courage you have shown today," The elder continued.

This was followed by another round of applause and cheering, which promptly stopped when the old woman signaled the spectators to do so. "You have also shown wisdom and foresight in being aware of the real threat, and you deserve praise for being able to prevent the unnecessary loss of life. As such, you deserve a reward. Is there anything within reason that you desire?"

Estelle felt distinctly uncomfortable. Next to receiving far too much praise, everyone's eyes were on her again. "I… do not wish for a reward, Elder, but I do want to ask your permission for something. Could we… talk about this a bit more privately?"

The words were barely out of her mouth before she realized how unrealistic they were. There had to be hundreds of people here. "That is perfectly understandable," the elder replied unexpectedly. "Go back to your work," she continued, addressing the crowd. Slowly, the area around them emptied. Estelle was amazed: it was an impressive display of the power that the elders had over the citizens here.

"Are you sure that you do not want anything, child?" the old woman asked finally.

"Yes, I'm sure. I do not deserve a reward… if one of the officers there hadn't been willing to listen, I don't think a fight could have been avoided. The crowd was also unusually calm for some reason…"

"Perhaps they had faith in you, child," the woman replied with a small smile. To her, the extend of the child's modesty was amusing.

"No they didn't!" a third, unfamiliar voice cried out. Both the woman looked up, surprised to see a crowd of children, and oddly, Tom, approaching them. "It was because of Ted's mighty gang! We were hired by this guy here to pass the message around: someone is coming to deal with them, don't fight and give the pink haired doctor lady a chance to do so!"

The speaker, presumably Ted, spun around to face Tom. "And so we did! Now pay us the eighty copper!"

"Eighty copper!?" Tom asked, slightly baffled. "The deal was forty, two copper for each of your friends!"

"Danger money!" Ted immediately replied. "This is a real job, so you pay us what the grownups get for dangerous things too!"

To that, Estelle had to agree. Sending children into an angry mob wasn't particularly safe for them. Both Estelle and the elder threw Tom a questioning glance. "Hey, I'm sorry! But I wanted to help you somehow," he replied, throwing up his hands.

"While I do not particularly agree with the method, I do have to say that it was quite effective," came the voice of Gwenn. "And yes, I am convinced that the wounded will be fine if they take some rest," she added, cutting off the inevitable question from her colleague.

Estelle turned back to the elder. Apparently this was as much privacy as they were going to get. "Elder Sarah, I would like to ask your permission to leave the city for an unknown period of time."

The old woman raised an eyebrow. "Leave the city? Whatever for, child?"

"I think I know who stole the aqua blastia last night," the healer replied. "I was on my way back home when I saw someone tinker with the fountain. It was very late, so I decided to investigate. She told me she was Rita Mordio, the person elder Hanks hired for the repairs. I assumed she was a genuine blastia mage, and left her there…" She decided to leave out the part of her almost getting killed by Rita beforehand, taking Gwenn's advice.

"I see… this is a very serious matter. Why do you wish to go after her personally? That alone seems to be a poor motivation," the elder replied. Her face fell slightly; did she know she was keeping something from her?

"I feel as if I had a chance to stop her… and failed. I think I'm also one of the very few persons here that knows how to survive outside of the town barrier."

"I do not agree with you on the first part, child. But you are probably correct in the latter," the elder said. "Regardless, I'm not sure if it is in our best interest if you left. I am greatly concerned by this direct provocation by the knights. We may need every capable person we have if something similar occurs in the future."

"Yes, that is why I want to go by the castle before I leave," the young healer answered, taking a crumbled piece of parchment from her belt. "This is the order the tax collector had… I managed to hide it from them while we 'talked'. I know that this is false… and I know someone at the castle who will listen to me if I take it there."

This time, the elder was clearly surprised. "You have the… Are you sure about this? And how are you going to get into the castle? Citizens like ourselves are forbidden from entering the royal quarter, not to mention the castle itself."

"We can help you with that! Ted's mighty gang, at your service!" the enthousiastic youngling cried, followed by a chorus of cheers from his friends.

"Such a gald wolf, you are…" Tom grunted under his breath.

"No way!" Ted cried in protest. "My mommy says never to take money from the pink haired doctor lady!"

"Hmmm… now that I think of it, child," the elder suddenly began, "Hanks told me that Rita Mordio was staying somewhere in the Royal Quarter. If you are lucky, you might be able to catch her there before she leaves the city."

"You will need to act quickly though, Estelle," Gwenn cut in. "If that order is really fake, those knights will be coming after you. It might be better to go to the castle immediately. Assuming Rita is still in the city is a gamble."

Estelle only nodded. "Do I have your permission to leave then, elder?"

"Yes child, and I wish you good luck on your journey. Your property will be taken care off. May you return shortly."

The healer bowed her head, feeling relieved. "Thank you, elder. I promise that I will deliver this order to the right person, and that I will get the aqua blastia back to us."

'_But what should I do first…? Try to see if Rita is still there, or delivering the forged order?_'

**Author's notes:**

Up until now, in my mind there has always been one more logical thing for each of the characters to do or say. In this case, both of Estelle's options are defendable. Looking for Rita first is riskier but might prevent her from having to go on a journey out of the city, whereas going to the castle first is safer but gives Rita more time to flee.

The choice has a large impact on the next chapter, which is why I'll leave it to the readers to decide. Without spoiling too much, going for Rita first involves Yuri and Estelle meeting earlier, with a unique opportunity for interaction in which they are both unaware of the other exactly (socially) is. The downside to this is that the meeting is by chance; i.e. more or less like it happens in canon, where the escaping Estelle randomly bumps into the perfect person to accompany her on her journey to warn Flynn. I always found that to be a bit of a weak point in the story.

Going for the castle first takes away that random element and makes for a more amusing scene later in the chapter (Estelle and Yuri meet regardless). It's your call; just let me know what you prefer.

All right, enough about that. Some characters act in an unusual way in this chapter, so I'll go back to characterization of some people with the reasoning.

_Estelle: _Throughout the last two chapters, there are multiple hints that Estelle is a lot more popular than she expects herself to be. However, when confronted by this, she is so humble that she instinctively rejects the possible and is confused by what is happening or being said. As for the intimidation of the corrupt duo: while it seems to directly contradict Estelle's character, I think that there is a reasonable chance she might do that if she was confronted with polar opposite (purely evil) characters.

Why? That is because Estelle has moments where she seems to consist of strange contradictions. For example, canon Estelle is oblivious to the workings of seduction and probably also of sex itself, but she seems to be greatly offended when Yuri teases her about not being sexy enough (sex-y?). Also, when you get to Aspio for the first time, she is able to trick the guards into revealing whether or not Flynn has been there, something I wouldn't have expected a naïve princess to do.

Finally, for the past (flashback) Estelle, I figured her to be emphatic enough to be severely effected by what was happening there. It wasn't a pretty place to be.

_Ioder: _Slightly more rebellious than he might be expected to be. Has Yuri been rubbing off on him? Interesting to note that he has let himself be persuaded on a similarly dangerous mission in the past.

_Ted: _In an effort to continue the realistic slum setting, Ted now has his own gang! I think that if the lower quarter in canon was more realistic/poor, having Yuri as a role model would stop him from joining or creating even a non-serious gang, but he doesn't here :P

_Leblanc: _While part of the Schwann/comic relief brigade, he seems to be more reliable than the others when pushed into a tight situation. It would probably fit his rank of Lieutenant to generally act as above.

_Monetary system: _My best explanation as to how someone can carry around values reaching into the millions of gald, is that there have to be coins and/or notes that represent set amounts of it. If there ever was an in-depth explanation of the monetary system, i probably missed it. If that is the case, i'm sorry. Copper pieces seemed to be good contenders for the lowest amount of gald per coin. If you do not like this, however, please let me know. I could also go for a completely vague/nondescript approach to gald which is more in-line with the game.

Well, that's everything. If you read all the way down here through the A/N, you probably deserve a medal. Did I do well? Was something off? Please review to let me know what you think about the chapter!

-kind regards, Dieuwtjin


	5. The meeting, part one

**Brief introduction: **Even though i have to sound like a broken record, I'd like to thank everyone that read the previous chapter, especially those of you who took the time to write a review. I had some very interesting and amusing conversations that sprung from those, ranging from the Wheel of Time to Final Fantasy to the nature vs nurture debate (concerning growing up in a different environment, and the effect it has on you).

The sheer amount of reviews (18!) was also highly motivating in pushing me onwards. Although it may seem like the chapter is late, the next chapter is 75% done as I write this, and I only had three weeks in which to write (exams etc).

For this chapter, it is part of a three chapter series that spans the remaining events in Zaphias. The second part should be up by the end of the week, and the third part i'll try to have done by the end of the month. I'm kind of excited to move the plot further along.

Since there were a number of readers who left unsigned reviews, I'd like to take a moment to adress those before starting on the story. Everyone is free to skip over the next part, of course :)

To N: Thank you, and I do intend to follow the story to my version of its end, as long as it is supported by whoever reads it. Don't worry about seeing this abandoned :)

To BOMBSHELTER: I don't mind recieving negative feedback; in fact, I welcome it. However, please try to be constructive when giving it, and please don't use this fic to pick a fight with other readers. Also, your notion of Estelle being a knight based on the fact that she's female is a tad... odd, considering that you're on your tenth playthrough through the game.

To anon: Thanks, I'll try not to disappoint you!

To T: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story. I'm kind of happy that you think Yuri is completely unchanged from the game, as I guess that means I managed to keep him IC pretty well :) (perhaps I slightly overcompensated due to Estelle being majorly OOC, even though I think her adjustment is realistic). Yuri's manner of speech is a product of him rebelling against his environment. Don't worry though, there will be times in this story that he adjusts himself to fit the situation.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own tales of Vesperia.

**_Nobility, chapter 5: the meeting, part one_**

Rage still boiled in the sergeant's heart as he saw the Schwann brigade detaching themselves from their defensive formation. Everything had almost gone to plan, at least until that whore had shown up to ruin everything. How would captain Cumore react? They hadn't even managed to empty _one_ of the warehouses, not to mention losing the transport wagons in the process! If only Leblanc had had a little more backbone... he was such a coward!

However, as the soldiers continued their march back to the castle, the golden-clad man reassessed the situation. How much of a reason did he have to worry, really? As long as they had the support of the council and their fake orders, they could just go back later and finish off the job. He knew that for his superiors, money and materials weren't much of a concern, at least to a certain degree.

As for the captain, he could tell him that the slum folk had reacted far more aggressively than he had anticipated, which was in fact, true. If he received a few more men, he would get the job done right away. Maybe he would even get get permission to use lethal force on whoever got in his way this time... it wouldn't fit the plan of using the arrested slum folk to work as slaves in the construction of captain Cumore's city, but still, the image of a crowd of beggars trying to put up a fight against a division of armored knights was very amusing. He had to suppress the urge to laugh.

"What is so funny, Sergeant Ricardo?" asked the small nobleman next to him, not quite sharing the enlightenment yet.

"Heh, it's nothing," the gold clad sergeant replied casually, his rage replaced by a confidence, expressing itself in a smirk. "I just realized that it doesn't really matter that we were stopped. Tomorrow, you can just fix us a new order, and we'll go-"

The nobleman stopped dead in his tracks and frantically searched his robes. "The order! How could I have…!? Ragou will..." he sputtered.

"What? Something wrong? All it takes to make a new one is a high ranking council member, a pen and a piece of paper. It's not like we're short on any of those."

"That's not the point, you idiot!" the councilman sneered. "The point is that the paper can serve as evidence, as it can link back to some of our associates! It's easy to ignore the claim of some beggar who somehow makes it through to the castle to complain, but what if that person carries an order with the prince's forged signature and the stamp of his house!?"

The sergeant raised his shoulders nonchalantly. Normally he would have punched anyone who called him an idiot in the face, right there and then. Unfortunately, his captain had forbidden him to do that, and these councilmen, including the small and annoying ones, were rather valuable allies.

"Watch your tone with me, Blair!" the soldier warned anyway. "Don't think that being on the council will do anything for you if you push in me the wrong way! …However, I don't know why you're so worried. No one from the lower quarter will be able to reach the castle to complain, but if by some miracle they did get past the guards _and_ someone would be willing to listen, it should be easy for our friends to make the order and those fools disappear before they reach someone of importance."

And hey, if something did go wrong with that order, the councilman was the one who really screwed up. _He_ was the one the higher ups would have their fun with, so it wasn't even the soldier's problem. At least, not that much...

"Forgive me, sir, but can I speak?"

Both the conspirators turned their heads towards their gathered henchmen, seeing one of the knights loyal to their cause raising his hand. "You have something _important _to say, worm?" The sergeant shot back. The soldier, whose name he didn't recall, hadn't been even nearly humble enough to his liking. There were two full ranks that separated the two of them, after all.

"Yes, _my lord_." The underling replied dutifully. Sergeant Ricardo nodded; that sounded much better. "Apologies, but I couldn't help but overhear your discussion. I think I recognized the woman from earlier."

"You do? You're sure of this!?" the councilman shot out, excited over the possible lead towards saving his skin from his superiors.

"Yes, I believe I do, councilman. Her name is Estelle Heurassein. She worked at one of the hospital camps that were under the command of our captain, near the end of the last war with the guilds." The underling's eyes went glassy for a moment. "I served there as a guard… and well; let's say that in a war, a man tends to notice prtety faces in the neighborhood. I was just about to make my move un her when she unfortunately disappeared..."

Some of the knights close enough to overhear them grinned, whereas some others whistled or laughed. The sergeant himself wasn't so amused.

"Really? Well, when you're done wiping the drool of your chin, perhaps you can get to the _useful_ part of what you wanted to say, worm! That information doesn't really help right now, and I'm not even remotely interested in hearing your private fantasies!" the commander cut in impatiently. The suggestive undertone had gone against his idea of strict discipline and total obedience. Sure enough, silence was restored.

"Ah, forgive me sir, err, I mean, _my lord_! The interesting thing is that she was involved in a scandal that also involved prince Ioder and the current captain of the royal guard." The corrupt knight paused a moment, trying to remember the details around the event. "It's probably not important what that was about, but the 'problem' is that there is a direct connection between her and at least one influential person in the castle. It could be very dangerous if she somehow did manage to get past the guards. "

The councilman looked thoughtful, but he wasn't the first one to speak his mind.

"Hmpf. No matter how well connected she is, she's still a beggar." the gold clad sergeant said. "Dealing with her should be easy, one way or another. Still, maybe we _should_ be a little cautious..."

After all, if what the worm had just told him was true, perhaps the situation was really more dangerous than it seemed... and just maybe, he would be able to get some additional personal credit for ending it in a favorable way. Of course, the most favorable way was to make sure that the bitch would be eternally silent, coupled with a swift reclamation of the piece of paper. Yes, the captain would definitely be pleased by his insight and his actions.

He momentarily held his pace, and commanded his men to halt. "All you slugs, listen up carefully! In case any of you, Cumore forbid, somehow managed to NOT notice this earlier: A pink haired bitch managed to talk the cowards from the Schwann brigade into fleeing from a bunch of slum folk! And while doing so, she also stole the order from us, like the dirty thief she is! Now, instead of chastising all of you for missing this last bit, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourselves..."

Slowly, he shifted his gaze over all of his thirty subordinates, making sure everyone was paying attention. "This is how we're gonna handle this. While our friend here," he said while gesturing towards the councilman, "arranges for the proper orders for the arrest, and preferably also for the execution of this Heurassein whore, we're gonna patrol around the castle, just in case she's dumb enough to try and sneak in right away. At the same time, we'll get backup from one of the others units under the captain, and have some of us go back into the lower quarter to hunt her down. Force her location out of the beggars! WE ARE getting that order back, one way or another, understood!?"

"YES SIR!" the thirty corrupt knights shouted in union.

The sergeant nodded. "Good. For those of you that will come with me to patrol near the castle: Since we're looking for a beggar in the royal district," he continued, "even you guys can't miss her. With the normal patrols in the area looking for intruders as always, you'll outnumber her at least five, possibly even ten to one. There is no excuse for failure; it's as easy as an order will ever be. You will arrest her and take her into the castle where we can make her disappear, or if she resists, you will make sure that you use just enough force that make sure she cannot survive. Either way, you will deal with her as fast as possble."

"Ah, can't we at least have a little fun with her?" the underling from earlier muttered, sounding disappointed.

"Did I give you permission to interrupt me _again_, worm!?" Ricardo barked, his voice thundering over the amused rumor produced by the unit.

"N-no, my lord!"

"Damn straight!" He responded, slowly advancing towards the underling, up to the point where he practically breathed down his neck. "For your interruption: We are knights to our captain, and we will deal with threats to him in a professional and swift manner. There will be NO delays, and no additional time for her to escape, or to get her message across, or for someone to save her. Do you understand this, worm!?"

The underling gulped. "Y...Yes sir!"

"Do you all understand this?!" The sergeant said aloud, turning towards the other knights.

"**Yes sir**!" they cried in unison.

"You'd better do!" the sergeant finished. "For those of you who are going back into the lower quarter, your task is to accompany and protect Blair."

"_What?!" _The councilman cried out, clearly shocked. "I can't go back into the lower quarter right away! Not after-"

"Yes you can," Ricardo replied with a falsely sweet voice. "You weren't expecting to sit out on this while we were taking risks to clean up _your_ mess, _were you_?" Not waiting for an answer that was sure to be along the most politically correct explanations for why the small man should stay at the castle, he immediately continued. "Don't think you can, unless you want me to yap to everyone how badly you screwed up. If you think it's too dangerous, you'd better make sure you get additional guards from somewhere to help you! Sounds fair, right? You get more men, I stay quiet."

"I... but..." the councilman sputtered, desperately trying to think up some way to quickly and smoothly talk his way out of this. Sadly, his mind seemed to be preoccupied by what would happen if his superiors, especially Ragou, learned of his failure. "...Yes, I will arrange for some additional assistance," he said absently.

* * *

The tax collector didn't really register the sergeant's reaction, but by the time Ricardo had started appointing the knights that would be accompanying himself and the reinforcements they would receive, he had forgotten about what Ragou would do to him.

Now, his worry was mostly over immediately re-entering the lower quarter after having basically attempted to rob a good number of the beggars living there of the only affordable food for them. There was no real way out for him though, and he decided to just hope for the best.

What he could do however, was starting to make up grounds on which to base the little girl's execution, and there was a possible lead in what the underling had told them. She had been involved in some scandal concerning prince Ioder...

As the men began their march to the castle, he quickly signaled the underling who had interrupted them earlier to join the sergeant and himself at the centre of the formation. Ricardo had a distinct look of disapproval, but apparently withheld his judgment for the time being.

"Could you tell me a little more about this scandal this girl was involved in? Was she ever punished for it, and if so, to what degree?" The insidious councilman asked the lower ranking soldier.

He didn't really need much of a valid reason to have her dealt with, as long as they were a little creative and bribed a few people here and there. This was a beggar; someone none of the council members really cared for. He was sure that there would be no objection to making her a scapegoat. Next to it being politically convenient to have one ready for when the news of Ioder's disappearance broke out, the fools that were not on their side would be paid for playing along with them. No one would care that the evidence was flimsy... but it wouldn't hurt to have an eye witness account of something incriminating.

What he heard however, greatly exceeded his expectations. Despite everything that had gone wrong today, he actually had to smile. This would be too easy.

* * *

The sun was well underway with its descent as three unusual groups of lower quarter inhabitants moved through the middle quarter. They drew a lot of stares as they passed, from both civilians and guards alike. It wasn't often that citizens of the slums moved through these streets, and it was even more unusual that they were all children.

What the onlookers didn't know was that the children were actually decoys, their task being to draw the attention away from two grown-up women that were inconspicuously lagging behind. It might not have been necessary, as the doctors could have passed for inhabitants of this part of the city, at least at a first glance. Still, the younglings had orders from their mighty gang leader, and thus they complied.

Although the guards were wary for attempts at thievery towards any of the stores situated there, they had no excuse to immediately take action. Or at least, not while the children hadn't caused any real trouble yet. While their presence was unusual, it wasn't forbidden for Estelle and her accompanying groups to be here, the way it would be near the castle.

Originally the young healer had suggested going alone, not wanting to endanger anyone near her in case she did run into the knights from earlier. However, whereas reminding Tom that he was needed at home had persuaded him to leave, the same could not be said about her colleague. If she was really honest with herself though, she was glad that her friend had come along. Since breaking into the royal quarter, let alone the castle, was bound to be hard, the pink haired healer was slightly nervous… and having someone familiar to talk to did put her more at ease.

By now, she was convinced that she knew what had to be done first. Making sure the order was delivered swiftly was far more important, as there was no telling if and when the knights would be back. She was sure that elder Hanks had enough foresight to make sure that there was at least some reserve of water if they had to completely shut down the pump. Maybe it could even be turned back on in its malfunctioning state, if it was absolutely necessary. In any case, there was a bit of time that could be spared when it came to the aqua blastia.

Furthermore, as her friend had reminded her, if she went into the royal quarter to extensively search for Rita, it was very unlikely that she would be able to avoid attention, given the way the nobles tended to dress themselves. Then there was also the fact that even if she had the extremely expensive clothing to use as a proper disguise, she didn't even remotely know how to act like a wealthy lady. She would eventually stand out to any guard or noble in the area, whether they were looking for her or not.

No, the best option was to go straight for the castle. Maybe she could even get some kind of special permission to search the royal quarter for the blastia thief, such as the permit she had gotten to allow her access, back when she had to move into the barracks from the lower quarter, as a requirement for joining the knights...

"Estelle, could you please tell me the reason for why you are so sure that the order is fake? If you're wrong, there will be nothing to protect you from the wrath of Ioder and his followers," Gwenn began after a period of silence.

"I'm sure," the younger healer confidently responded. "I met Prince Ioder once, during the war I mean. We even travelled together for two days. He was a very noble person: I couldn't picture him ever issuing an order like that. I'm... sorry I never told you, but it never seemed to be that important and I don't really want to talk about that period."

Her older colleague nodded thoughtfully. "I see, but you do realize that basing a decision this important on such a brief encounter is a very dangerous thing to do?"

Estelle slowed her walking for a moment, wanting to make absolutely sure that the children wouldn't have to worry about anything she and her colleague said to each other. As it was, they seemed to be too far away and too absorbed in admiring the surroundings to notice. If this hadn't been such a serious occasion, the younger healer might have taken a look at the canal and its magnificent bridges herself. The sheer distance you could actually see the river extend was a clear sign of how large the city of Zahpias really was, and of how many people would have to be living here. On the negative side, the beauty of the canals here was also a sign of just how wealthy this part of the city was compared to the lower quarter, and they hadn't even reached the royal quarter yet.

"I… think I can," she said. "Back then, Prince Ioder put himself in danger for the sake of a little girl. She was from one of the guilds, and I'm sure that couldn't have made him more popular with the knights. The only explanation I had was that he was a really kind and caring person, and he always seemed genuinely concerned about his subjects."

The graying healer stared at the chatty troops of children before them. "I don't know, child. Performing such an act of nobility might fall well with some types of soldiers, and could make him seem like a benevolent person to the common people. In the end he is a noble, and image is everything to them."

Estelle shook her head. "I can't prove I'm right, but I… feel like we can trust him. He is an heir to the throne; he should and _does_ care about what happens to his people! If he doesn't…"

She didn't finish the sentence, as she didn't want to consider that possibility. If a prince really wanted to take the food away from the poor, and the knights were willing to obey, was there any real hope for them, regardless of what they did?

"…If he doesn't, you will basically be walking into our enemies' arms for nothing," the older woman spoke, deeply worried by the prospect. "You aren't planning on seeing Ioder himself, are you? That would be far too dangerous and risky for my liking, if they even let you near the prince."

"No, I will look for my old instructor instead," Estelle answered. "The last time I saw her, she told me that she was being promoted to the rank of captain of the royal guard. I can't think of anyone that would be more interested a prince's name being abused, or who would be in a better position to try and prevent it. Oh, and I'm _completely_ sure _she_ can be trusted," she added as an afterthought.

Gwenn remained silent as they started climbing a steep uphill slope that led towards the royal quarter. They hadn't chosen the entrance that was nearest to the castle, as that one was probably the one that would be under the heaviest guard. The further they got, the more the palace's outline grew, even though part of it already extended well above some of the buildings surrounding them. It truly was a gigantic construction.

"What will you do if she isn't there for some reason?" the older healer asked after a short period of silence. "It would be wise to think about a solution to that possibility ahead of time."

Estelle froze slightly. Truthfully, there were very few good other choices. As her break with the military had been complete and definitive, she had been unable to maintain contact with any of her surviving friends from her days in the knights. She had no idea if any of them had managed to get to any position of importance in the past three years, which left her with only two choices.

"I can take it to another high ranking member of the royal guards," she said after a short pause, "or to Flynn... if I really have to." Estelle knew that her friend probably knew that she would never choose the second option, but she tried anyway. Maybe Flynn's reputation as a hero of the lower quarter would make her friend feel more at ease, regardless. Of course, it didn't work.

"To me, the first choice sounds like a shot in the dark, and as for the second one: You made it quite clear that you personally do not trust Flynn, child. I don't know why, but as you are _usually_ a mature and levelheaded woman, I'll assume it's for a good reason. And that would mean that there are no good alternatives," her friend more stated than asked.

Given that her friend tended to address anyone except elders with 'child', Estelle took it as a compliment. She did have a bit of difficulty in thinking up a fitting response, but fortunately she didn't have to.

"Yet no matter how dangerous and narrow this plan is, you feel like you have to go, don't you? I know you too well to believe otherwise, child."

Estelle shifted her gaze towards the children in the distance, and slowly nodded. "I… don't have a choice, do I?" she spoke softly. "You know what this could lead to if I don't."

The older healer took a moment to try and find a flaw in her logic, or any excuse for her selfless colleague for not having to risk her life for the third time in less than a day, but this time, she regrettably couldn't find one. Was this really the lower quarter's best and perhaps only option? A more personal and darker part of her felt distinctly angry towards those who were forcing Estelle into this, first of all the knights and the corrupt government, but also towards themselves, the people of the lower quarter as a whole. Despite there being tens of thousands of them, they had to rely on one young girl to solve their problems for them, a girl who already spend most of her life helping others?

"Um, Gwenn?"

On the sound of her younger colleagues voice, the graying woman immediately shut off her nonfunctional thoughts. "I only wished that we could have gained access to the castle normally. It would have been so much easier and safer for you if that were the case, child," she said, her voice as neutral as she could manage. "This system of warding all lower quarter inhabitants from the castle and the government almost seems designed to protect those who seek to exploit us."

This last remark struck a nerve to Estelle, as it was the second time this day that she had seemed to share the ex-knight's idea of someone powerful orchestrating all of this. "Gwenn," she hesitantly began, "why would anyone try to provoke us into fighting? Can you think of anything that anyone would really gain by turning the city into a battlefield? It would cause so much suffering to so many people…"

She was far surer of it than she had ever wanted to be. Estelle forced herself not to let her mind wander to some of the horrible scenes she had seen during the war. Those events were what they were trying to prevent now, and it wouldn't do her any good if she kept losing focus.

In turn, the graying healer looked away, unable to look into her younger friend's far too innocent green eyes. After what they had learned today, she felt was able to make a pretty good guess. But was it something to tell Estelle? Possibilities like these were beyond even her capacities to handle, and weren't things a normal citizen should ever concern herself with.

"I can't be sure, child," she said, deciding it was better not to keep any information away from her, "But if we assume Ioder is innocent, and the council and the knights claim to act out of his name, they are effectively framing him and turning us against him. You saw how Tom was when he spoke of Ioder; hate spreads itself quickly. If this came to a battle which the rest of the city also gets caught up in, Ioder will be the one eventually taking the blame for starting it. You see where thatcould go, don't you?"

Estelle gasped. "You mean... a coup? But… that can't be!" she cried. "They can't just throw aside the royal family!"

"I… hope that you're right, and that I'm not, child. I do not like the idea of people such as the tax collector from earlier having absolute power over us, although I suppose they already do, given how little we have to say about the course of the empire."

"I won't let that happen, either way! I will get the order delivered safely, and after that, I will get the blastia back to us," the swordswoman promised again, balling her fists. "Everything will be fine."

She ignored the small part of her that felt the need to repeat the words to herself.

* * *

Yuri stared over the massive courtyard that belonged to the castle. He had come here to be alone, something that he liked to do whenever he needed to think about really serious matters. Although the four royal guards were still with him, they had willing to give him a little bit of privacy.

Over the last few hours, he had gone through the details of his plan, triple checking it for any errors. He hadn't been able to find any, at least not with the knowledge he currently had. The information he had really wanted to get just wasn't available, at least, not here. The persons that had to be bribed had been bribed. The person he had wanted to blackmail had been willing to go with him on his plan, though he had casually mentioned the existence of the blackmailing material anyway. There was no room for questionable loyalty.

The road ahead was clear. He had to flee from the castle, and from the city as well. There was a very powerful conspiracy at work, one that had managed to lure his cousin Ioder into a trap. They could easily have more members in the royal guard as well, which basically meant that Yuri was no longer safe in Zaphias.

He was being forced to flee and go into exile, leaving the care of castle to others, others who would have to work hard to make sure there wasn't some sort of coup while he was away. If he hadn't been so forced to think about what would happen if they got him as well, he wasn't even sure if he could have done it. It felt like a thing only a coward would do, leaving others to fight over his home with some invisible enemy while he was away undertaking a journey across the land. It was an important one, but still.

He balled his first. This was wrong, all of it. He had never particularly liked life at the castle, but it was still his home. They had succeeded in capturing the only real family member he had left, were forcing him to run, and up until yesterday, he hadn't even known just serious this corruption issue had become. In fact, he still didn't know.

"Damn it all, I should have listened to Flynn earlier! He tried to warn me, warn all of us, but I never really listened to him, did I? No, he was so noble that he probably saw just about everyone as corrupt…"

* Woof! *

The prince sighed. "Yeah, I know, there's no use in whining about it now. I just can't believe none of us saw this coming. This conspiracy seems to have agents in every layer of the government; the knights, the council, the royal guard, even a regent… next thing we know, they even have ties with some of the Guilds."

* Growl! *

Despite the situation, Yuri had to grin at this. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not giving up, and I'll find some way to 'bite them in the tail', as you put it. Cumore and Ragou should be good places to start looking, along with the towns that they're regents of. We're going on a trip: there are some people we need to talk to, and some things we need to see for ourselves."

The black haired man gently patted his companion him on the head. "We'll be gone for quite a while... I'm not even sure when we'll be back in Zaphias again. Normally, that would have been something to look forward to, right?"

*...woof.*

"Yeah... Maybe i'm already getting homesick or something?" the prince half-joked.

_'It's because this time, things are really serious. What if i screw up anywhere along the way? What if I don't manage to find Ioder? Wh__at if he's already... No... he has to be fine; he's too naive to die. Besides, I can't waste too much time worrying.'_

* Woof? *

Yuri raised his eyes slightly in surprise. "You need to say goodbye first? I didn't figure you to be an overly sentimental type."

* Whine… *

"Nah, If you feel the need, go for it. I'll be fine here with those stalwart guardians over there, as long as I don't die of boredom. Just make sure you're back in time for the meeting."

* Woof! *

As his companion left, Yuri took a glance at the setting sun. He supposed that it was really beautiful, but today, that didn't really come across. With the current grim situation, his mind was more on the inevitability of the sun's descent. It came across as threatening, and today, more than ever, he felt that he was trapped.

* * *

Garrote smiled broadly.

It wasn't that he was happy; it was just that the really potent restorative gels tended to have a euphoric effect. The injuries from the fight with Zagi continued to harass him in his strenuous climb up the mast. To him, this was a test to see if he was still fit enough to accompany his men later today. He couldn't fail, especially with most of the men watching him.

While he knew that most of his current good mood was caused by the medicine he had taken, he couldn't deny that the growing outline of the city of Zaphias was a pleasant sight. It meant that their lives wouldn't be lost to a highly dangerous storm, or to chance for that matter. Today, after weeks of sailing, they would finally reach their target.

Despite him being sure that he hadn't slowed his climb at any point, it felt like it required longer than usual to reach the nest. There, he was greeted by Slice, who had taken it upon himself to scout for surrounding landmarks the moment the storm began to clear. The other assassin didn't waste any time in voicing his doubts. "Boss, are you sure you don't need further medical help? The healer said that you came out of the fight with multiple bone fractures, yet you accepted only minimal healing?" he hesitantly asked. "I think that climbing up here in your condition isn't a good idea..."

The lead red eye raised himself up fully and turned around, the smile never having left his face. Slice reflexively jumped back, almost falling off the nest as he did. Garrote's smile was one of the most unnatural and intimidating things he had ever seen. "Um, I mean, that's just based on his opinion, of course, Boss! I'll go and tell him to-"

"The fact that I managed to climb up here at all is proof that I am all right, isn't it?" The higher ranking redeye cut in, though not harshly. "Go back down and prepare for tonight. My well-being isn't something that any of you should concern yourselves with."

He supposed that he should have told him off further, since Slice had slightly out stepped his rank, but Garrote didn't feel the need.

The lower ranking red-eye immediately saluted and proceeded to climb down slowly. From the top of the mast, Garrote could see multiple red eyes still glancing up towards them, probably wondering if their leader had really lost his sanity, or if he was in any condition to go with them later on. Ironically, his reason for refusing magical healing was because _he_ had been worrying about _them._

Not accepting a full magical treatment meant that the healer would be far fresher when they assaulted the castle tonight, which might mean that a few more of his men could screw up without having to die for it. He had taken just a little bit to mend the important fractures, and after that, had taken a very heavy dose of gels. While he was in pain, it wasn't unbearable, and if he was fit enough to climb to the top of the mast to get a better look at the city, he was fit enough to fight.

Despite getting injured, he didn't feel as though he could have fought Zagi any better. He struck quickly from his hiding place, had managed to hit him with a poisoned weapon, and had then started evading his attacks, waiting for the insane assassin to crumble from the poison. It was the same way he would have fought any truly dangerous opponent that did not have access to any form of healing.

Strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, it had taken the poison an unnaturally long time to take effect, during which Zagi had succeeded in destroying most of the hallway, shouting nonsense about blood and rightful kills all the way. More importantly, although he had been infected with paralyzing poison, he had been fast enough to hit him with a few glancing blows, and even a direct hit to his left upper arm. Zagi had really lived up to his reputation, being strong enough to seriously injure him even with just glancing hits.

In the end, Garrote had seen a slight hesitation in his movement, which was his cue that the poison was getting to him. From there, he had succeeded in stabbing Zagi multiple times, and had left the finally unconscious assassin on the metal floor of his cell. He had left his poisoned longblade embedded in the other assassin's chest, which would hopefully be enough to keep him out cold long enough for their mission to have ended.

Normally he wouldn't have even considered treating a fellow guild member in such a way, but he had determined that Zagi's involvement, or rather, his mental state, was truly dangerous to the mission's success. Besides, it somehow seemed unlikely that the insane assassin was going to die from something as simple as multiple deep stab wounds, a high enough dose of poison to _kill _a monster seven times his size, and having a longblade stuck in his chest.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned back towards the city of Zaphias. With the storm having subsided, and with Zagi no longer trying to wake the dead, the image of the city by sunset was quite a beautiful and serene one.

Yes, he thought, tonight would be a good night. Tonight, he was hunting royalty.

…But for now, he felt the need to slowly sit down, hiding from his subordinates' eyes, and letting the gels slowly do their remaining work. Maybe he should have accepted more magical healing…

* * *

"What are they waiting on?" Gwenn asked softly. "The gate is right there, but why aren't the children doing anything? I was under the impression that they were going to create a diversion."

"I'm not sure," Estelle replied just as softly, throwing a sideward glance. "I don't even see Ted anymore... where could he have gone to?"

The two women had placed themselves near a tailoring store, avoiding attention by pretending to be interested in the beautiful pieces of cloth that were on display, and blending in with the crowd nicely. To Estelle, the most captivating things about them were their price tags, some of which were high enough to keep a person well fed and housed for weeks, sometimes even months. She supposed that they were highly rare materials meant for potential customers from the nearby Royal quarter, but it was still hard to imagine that the nobles would have _this_ much gald to spare on something a person didn't really need.

"Do you think we should try getting past ourselves?" the younger healer questioned. "It would keep the children out of danger."

Gwenn turned around for a moment. "If they hadn't been prepared to face that, I don't think they would have come with us in the first place," she said while pointing towards a piece of silk fabric. "I think it's best to wait for their help... we should assume the knights from earlier are looking for you. And even if they aren't, do you think you can bluff your way through every single knight that questions what you are doing there?"

The younger healer smiled softly. "You know I'm not very good at lying."

"Indeed, child. By the way, have you thought of what you are going to do encounter them?"

Estelle nodded. "If they see me, I'll run. I can't risk fighting and damaging the order unless I'm really-."

"Psst! Pink-haired doctor lady, over here!"

Both women looked around, surprised. The vague outline of a child was visible in a nearby alley, and the two colleagues subtly made their way over, trying not to make it stand out. If any curious bystander saw them talking to any of the poorer children that were suddenly crowding the streets, especially in a suspicious place such as a shady alley, it couldn't do them a lot of good.

And indeed, half-hidden behind a pile of empty crates was the leader of Ted's mighty gang.

"Ted? How did you…" the younger healer tried to ask.

"We're scouting from up there, friendly doctor lady!" he immediately said, vaguely pointing towards the roof of the adjacent building. "First thing you learn as a member of my gang is how to hide in alleys, and how to move across rooftops! That way, grown-ups can't find or catch us when we get in trouble!"

"Meaning you get into trouble quite often, child?" asked Gwenn, frowning over this piece of excess information.

"Hey, that's mean, _grumpy_ doctor lady! We don't get into trouble any more than any other gang members!" Ted rebuked, not quite seeing the flaw in his own logic. "Anyway," he continued, turning back to Estelle, "Are you ready to bust on in, pink haired doctor lady?"

"I am not-!" the graying healer began.

"Ah, um, good thinking, Ted! Before we go, did you or your friends find out anything important?" Estelle cut in, wanting to keep the peace.

Ted looked away and scratched his head. "Yeah, those knights keep patrolling in exactly the same way, so they must be bored out of their minds! There are many of them, too. From here in a line to the castle, I counted at least five groups of knights."

Estelle frowned, trying to remember if that was an usual number of patrols for such a small area. Unfortunately, she hadn't been assigned to patrol the royal quarter very often, so she didn't know. Compared to the upper quarter though, twenty-five knights patrolling part of one single street was unheard of.

"Does that mean that the security is tighter than usual today?" her colleague asked.

"I don't know. It feels like that, but we _are _close to the castle. I don't have much exprience patrolling here, so I can't be sure," Estelle replied truthfully. "I don't think I'll be able to make it to the castle unseen with that many guards in the way, though…"

"That is where we come in, pink haired doctor lady! Just leave the diversion to us, it'll be a piece of pie!" Ted cut in enthusiastically. "Right now, my pawns are already telling the others where the guards are! Those stinky grown-up knights won't know what hit them!"

Estelle had to smile softly, but wasn't entirely assured by his enthusiasm. "Ted, are you sure that you and your friends will be all right? I mean, we appreciate your help up to this point, we really do, but they're armed knights… and you're children. I'd feel really guilty if anything happened to any of you."

Ted beamed at her and patted his chest. "Stop worrying, doctor lady. We made our promise, and we're gonna show those knights not to mess with us or with the lower quarter, whether we're grown-ups or not!" By now, he had crossed his arms and was staring defiantly at both the healers, daring either of them to object. The image was so comical and heart-warming that neither woman could completely hide a smile.

"Well, I suppose we don't have a choice but to accept criminal aid then, do we, Estelle?" Gwenn inquired, bemused.

"No, I suppose not, but isn't there any way we could help you and your friends, Ted?" the pink haired woman asked.

"Hey, _we're_ supposed to be the ones helping _you_, pink haired doctor lady!" the gang leader rebuked. "But well, if you really want to..."

* * *

Estelle and her friend steadily walked directly towards one of the guards, separating themselves from any potential cover for the first time since the lower quarter inhabitants had arrived here. Hopefully the guards wouldn't have really noticed them yet, as it would be far harder for their bluff to succeed if they were immediately connected to Tom and his friends.

Fortunately the knights seemed far more interested in keeping an eye on the children, even after she managed to make eye contact with one of them. Part of Estelle was relieved, as it meant that they probably weren't looking for her, or at least didn't recognize her right away. Another part of her steeled herself, knowing that this was it. They would have to break in now, and they only had only one chance to do it right. Failing would put most of the guards on high alert, which could make it impossible to get into the castle.

"Logically, there is no way this could work," her colleague muttered. "We would probably have a better chance by throwing rocks at them and expecting them to fall to the ground."

"Really? I think it's a good plan. If something like this happened back when I was a knight, it would have caught _me_ off-guard, at least," she whispered back, still watchful for any outward response to their presence from the guards. "I kind of wished I could have been the serious one, though…"

"Yes, because it would have fitted me, a nearly fifty-year old woman, much better to act the naïve part, wouldn't it?" Gwenn whispered with a hint of humor, all the while giving the impression of being in deep conversation with her. Part of Estelle's tension left her as she was hit by a rather comical image of her colleague.

"Hmmm, maybe not," she answered, "but this reminds me too much of how I used to… Well, let's hope we don't cause a scene before Ted's ready."

"Halt!" the closest guard cried out. Following the plan, they pretended to be too caught-up in their discussion to notice, and continued walking until he warned them a second time.

"Hey, that's close enough, you two!" He called out, slightly more aggressive this time and moving his halberd to block the way as he did. "If you wish to enter, first state your business here and then show us your upper quarter passports!"

Since they were now close enough to the guard, Estelle looked up, smiling brightly. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized profusely. "I didn't realize you were talking to us."

The guard frowned, and understandably so, as there was practically no one else even remotely close. It was nearing the evening; most shops had either closed down or were in the process of doing so, and most of the crowd had left for home. "Ehm, well," he spoke hesitantly, momentarily confused by Estelle's behavior, "Never mind, I guess, but what_ is_ your business here?"

"We've come to inquire about a law that was passed a few years ago, concerning the lower quarter," the older woman stated in a completely serious tone. "Recently, there was a highly peculiar new law in effect that we would like to study for ourselves."

The guard sighed. "You're from the lower quarter as well? First those kids arrive, acting like this place is their personal playground, and now you two actually want to barge on in here? Sorry, but you can't! Rules are rules."

"Really?" asked Estelle, trying to sound disappointed and surprised. "But a council representative told me that it was our responsibility to be aware of new laws. How can we do that if we can't enter the castle or the royal quarter? He couldn't have lied, could he?"

She took care not to specifically mention the words 'tax collector' as a precaution. There was still no unusual reaction, and Estelle realized that it had probably been a very good idea to not try to break into the entrance closest to the castle instead. Taking a quick glance to the side, she saw that the other guard was now also watching them with curiosity. Were they distracting them well enough?

"You have a lot of nerve to speak such about an honorable member of the council," the heavily armored knight responded in slight annoyance. "They would _all_ know that it is forbidden for slum folk to enter the royal quarter under any circumstances. What you are telling me is a lie; remove yourselves immediately, before I have you arrested for abusing the council's good name."

"Is it, now?" Gwenn cut in. "We have evidence of our claim with us. If you are concerned with the council's good name, you should let at least one of us pass with it. That way, the council can clear it's name. If I recall correctly, it is even forbidden for incriminating evidence to be withheld from them..."

Although even the vague mention of the order was risky, it did give their story more validity, as well as another opportunity to stretch the conversation if the guards asked to see it. There was no way she would hand it over to them, but maybe she could show it from a safe distance...

"Yes, it is!," Estelle chirped sagely. "According to section c-12 of the first area of civic duties, any incriminating documents towards the government are to be brought before a specialized committee, appointed by the council, and judged on its validity."

It was a law that was etched firmly in her memory, as next to it being highly suspicious, it was also the law that had taught her that the clergy were unusually evasive whenever she had critical questions concerning such laws. It had probably been the first time she had ever doubted whether or not she and Flynn would have really been able to have some impact on the way the empire was ran, regardless of how successful they would be in the knights.

The guard in front of them, in turn, apparently hadn't memorized the law nearly as well. He blinked in confusion, then turned to his companion. "Um, Pete, can you come over here for a second? I, um… need to ask you something."

Estelle heart jumped slightly. The other guard was actually leaving his post? That was even better for Ted and his friends! She slowly moved herself a little more to the knight's side, and readied herself.

"What is it, buddy?" the other guard asked upon reaching them.

"Do you know anything about section c-"

"HIDE AND SEEK! Ted's it!" A youthful voice resounded, causing all conversationalists to spin around. They were just in time to see a number of children running through the gap in the gate, with more of them approaching fast. The children, who had been slowly edging closer during the conversation, had indeed taken the opportunity.

"Oh shi-!" The new guard cried out, running straight to the center of the gate, trying to bar the way. He would have been joined by his friend who had tried to get past Estelle, if she hadn't turned around in a very unfortunate manner, causing him to trip over her foot. In a not so honest attempt to stop his fall, she had also grabbed his upper arm and pulled it towards her, which, in fact, only caused him to fall harder and in a more unfortunate angle. It didn't help much that he was wearing heavy armor, which made the event even less pleasant.

"Gah!" he yelled, landing painfully on his side.

"Oh dear," Gwenn spoke in all seriousness. "Did I just hear the sound of a snapping rib?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said the younger woman, pretending to be in panic, and placing herself front of him again. Coincidentally, this was rather inconvenient for the prone knight considering that he would have to go right through her to help dealing with the children. "Lie still! I'm a healer, I can use healing artes to-"

"You dumb, clumsy…!" he gasped. "Never mind, just get out of my way, NOW!" His friend didn't fare very well alone, as the children ran past him left and right. The gate was too wide to effectively guard by himself, at least against a flock of incoming targets.

"But… your rib could be broken!"

"I don't-!!"

"Guards!! Don't just stand there! There are BEGGARS in the royal quarter!" A terrified and haughty cry sounded from nearby.

Taking that as her cue, Estelle finally allowed the guard to stand up and pass unhindered, though she still pretended to fret over his well-being. "Damn you!" the guard said as he left. "Take your blasted evidence and go! I don't care where, or what you do with it, just leave!"

As he ran off into the distance, joining his friend in a now futile effort to control the damage, Estelle breathed a sigh of relief. She had been partially convinced that it would have come to blows at the end, and she was glad that it hadn't. From the looks of things, Ted and his friends where quite successful in evading the incoming knights, and also at scattering themselves into the planned direction, for that matter.

"Such a polite young man, that one," Gwenn said sarcastically. "Though I do suppose we should thank him later for giving us permission to do as we please."

Estelle didn't really respond, as her mind was already on the next step. She had to give Ted and his friends a few moments to spread out further, but she couldn't wait too long with starting her run. "Here I go, then…" she eventually said, but halted as she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She threw her older colleague a questioning glance.

"One moment won't matter," The older woman responded, directly looking into her eyes. "Please make sure you take good care of yourself, Estelle, no matter how long your journey may take before you return to us. Even if you are unaware of it, a lot of people would be saddened by your loss, myself included."

In return, Estelle looked at her strangely, figuring that she must have misheard about many people missing her. She thought she was a reasonably good healer, but there had to be others like her. Still, she nodded, and quickly entered the royal quarter, her course set on the castle.

* * *

Left alone, Gwenn watched Estelle running from hiding place to hiding place, probably vigorously watching for any patrols, even though the gang members were supposed to have spread in that direction to distract them. Part of her felt sorry for not being able to help her further, but she knew that she was too old for this sort of thing, next to being a potential hazard to Estelle if she had to fight somewhere on the way.

Glancing back at the immediate surroundings, she was amused to see that a few members of Ted's gang had either come back to or had hung around the entrance, and were harassing a few unlucky nobles in a playful manner.

"No! Unhand my poodle, you evil fiends! You'll give him lice!"

"Ack! Guards! That beggar just stole my belt!"

"Come back here you little rats!" A guard yelled, trying desperately to grab one of Ted's friends but not quite succeeding at it. The children were just faster and had expert climbing abilities from the looks of things, as might be expecting from a group of thieves. She was convinced that quite a few valuables would disappear from the royal quarter overnight, and that the children would be resourceful enough to find their own route of escape, perhaps even by climbing over the walls at midnight.

Yes, between them and Estelle, this might actually work.

"Ah, today's youth…" she muttered to herself, yet with a small feeling of pride. Perhaps there was some hope for the lower quarter.

**_Author's notes:_**

I'm really sorry that i was unable to fit in Yuri and Estelle's actual meeting into this chapter. The further I finished the chapter, the more I realised that going to the castle first with the order would mean that i'de have to put that on hold until later. I feel slightly ashamed because I had promised it, but during the writing, I knew it would probably better to delay it slightly. Part of this is my fault for poor planning, but it's mostly due to the way i write scenes. They tend to end up far longer than i originally imagine them to be, as I keep thinking of new fun or interesting things to add to them as i go along.

Scene by scene commentary:

Scene 1/2: Roadblock when writing the chapter. The problem was how professional and realistic the enemies here had to be. For realism, if there are 30 evil knights tasked to take down one young woman, it would probably be off not to have at least one of them make a comment towards 'having fun with her' or something among those lines. I was kind of hesitant to add that however, since even vaguely touching those themes do not really fit a 'Tales of' story/fanfic.

For professionalism, there is a large chance that these knights could have died on this mission, presumably meaning someone would not miss them if it turned out that way. If they are too professional, it would be odd for them to be chosen for this task, unless the opposition is very wasteful with its men. If they are too unprofessional/comical, they're not a credible threat.

In the end, I settled for a compromise.

Scene 3: My least favorite scene of the chapter. I was considering cutting it completely to make room for more plot advancing scenes, but I felt there were some good points to it.

Scene 4/5: I'm generally happy with the scenes although there is a bit of a lack of Yuri (erm, don't dwell too long on that line). I'll try to compensate in future chapters. Btw, did you ever wonder if overuse of gels might lead to unintended side-effects?

Scene 6: no comment.

Scene 7: Roadblock. There were a number of plans I had that could put Estelle past the guards. First, she could just have walked up to them and taken them out quickly. This seemed too violent to be IC. Another plan was to have Ted steal a passport and clothing for her and then having Estelle pretending to be a hired healer from the upper quarter. This is the most realistic one, and the one I would have used if Estelle would have gone to look for Rita first. The downside to this one is that it doesn't help her get past the Cumore brigade, and since she is going to the castle...

A third plan was to have Ted climb over the wall with a few friends and having them start a distraction behind the guards, which would draw them away from their posts and opens the way for the other children to invade. I chose against this one as I didn't want to take the focus off Estelle as one of the main characters. Eventually I chose the above plan as I felt it was the most humoristic one, even though the realism is a bit lacking. Hmmm, wait, wasn't there someone who took out knights from 30 meters away with rocks he finds on the ground? :P

Pfew. I'de like to ask anyone who finds this story interesting to take a moment to review, and to tell me what your thoughts on the chapter. I am always seeking to improve, and they tend to have a very motivating effect on me.

-kind regards, Dieuwtjin


	6. The meeting, part two

**Brief introduction: **I'd like to thank everyone that read the last chapter, which a special thanks going to the reviewers. Interest in it seemed to be a bit low, which I guess is probably my fault for not being able to update faster. It could also have been that there wasn't enough progression in the story per chapter, which is why I've tried a slightly different approach this time; I cut out some content and rewrote the final scene to allow for more story progression instead of detail (in the latter half). Kind of wondering how that will be liked.

**Disclaimer: I do not own tales of Vesperia.**

_**Nobility, chapter 6: the meeting, part 2**_

Estelle ran as fast as she could.

She tried to move into hiding places whenever possible, gratefully making use of the magnificent trees and bushes that were planted along the street. On some parts she had to be a little more creative, and she resorted to using the gardens of the massive mansions there for cover. While there was a risk of being spotted by someone in the mansion, she thought that it was preferable to staying out on the street, completely in the open.

Constantly she scanned her surroundings, weary for being detected at any moment. Maybe she could have relaxed slightly, as it was quickly clear to her that the area closer to her was almost devoid of people, but she decided against it. Her time in the military and her life in the lower quarter in general had firmly imprinted the importance of awareness in her mind.

Looking further ahead on the road, she saw the ongoing mayhem that was being caused by the presence of Ted and his friends. Though she couldn't really grasp the reason for it, most of the nobles she saw were terrified of the children, and ran at the mere sight of them. Usually they crossed one of the bridges in doing so, fleeing further into the royal quarter. The wealthy inhabitants were almost systematically followed by at least one of Ted's friends, which only increased their panic further.

The young healer realised that this also spread the children further, making it harder for the knights to effectively pick and chase them.

Whereas some knights vigorously tried to catch up to a target of their choice, other knights stood still, probably wondering what was going on, how to handle this in the best manner, and whether or not to chase the children further into the royal quarter. It had undoubtedly been the first time they had ever faced an invading flock of children.

Well, the more knights that decided to follow them deeper into the royal quarter, the better, as it would draw them away from their patrol routes, which was exactly what Ted had been hoping for. Staying where they were while the nobles were getting harassed hopefully felt wrong to them. Of course, there would be knights patrolling the more inner parts of the royal quarter as well, but if the knights here just thought that the situation was serious enough, maybe they would feel compelled to help.

Judging by how long Estelle was able to run forward unhindered, she was sure that at least two of the five patrols Ted had seen had left their route in pursuit. With the speed at which she was able to draw closer to the castle, she almost considered herself there already when her luck began to turn for the worse.

She had been in the process of sneaking past a suspiciously stationary group of knights, when a part of their conversation caught her attention. She immediately stopped and ducked further below shoulder high hedge she was using to hide.

"...Man, I'm getting really tired of waiting for this Heuras-something woman to show up. Can't we go and beat some of those little beggars into submission? At least we'd have a little fun today."

"Keep your whining to yourself, and remember what the Sergeant said!" a second knight said in contempt. "There's a good chance she'll be trying to come by here, so keep your eyes open. I don't like this situation one bit..."

"What, you think this could be some kind of diversion?" a third man asked. "I don't think so, really. The way she managed to take out two of us earlier today with just one arte... she could probably take the closest entrance to the castle and bust her way through there easily."

One of the soldier sighed in exasperation. "And risk fighting all of the nearby patrols and their reinforcements at once, you idiot? Just because _you_ always solve things by brute force doesn't mean everyone does! I mean, just look at the scene over there; you'd think the nobles were afraid that _all_ of those kids had severe, contagious diseases or something. And those knights? Running around like headless chickens. Don't you think this would be a good time to try..."

Estelle held her breath and moved very slowly in a crouching position, completely aware that one sound was all it took to give her away, and that it wouldn't take much to make that sound given that she had a backpack filled with items. The seconds went by slowly, and her progress towards the end of the garden was even slower.

"Aaaaaaaah! Guards! Help me!"

The young healer was sure her heart skipped a few beats. The scream had come from almost directly behind her. Figuring herself spotted, her hand went to her sword instinctively and she spun around.

For the first few seconds, nothing happened. Then came an odd snapping sound, followed by another scream and... laughter?

Even though she knew she probably shouldn't, she slowly raised herself higher, still nervous but wanting to know what it was that had made those knights laugh in this situation. It couldn't have been anything good. She was able to quietly pull aside just enough of the hedge to get a reasonable view, and quickly glanced back. At first, what she saw didn't make much sense. A noblewoman was running away from the guards, but why was she running?

And then she saw it. Sprawled on the ground not too far from the guard was a young girl from Ted's group, lying perfectly still. It wasn't hard to see the arrow protruding from her back. It was also hard to miss one of the guards holding a crossbow. Estelle felt her blood turn cold.

"Hey, don't run away now!" the crossbowman called jokingly. "We just saved you from the beggar! Don't we deserve some kind of reward? Pfff... women don't know what they want nowadays."

"What was that about, you idiot!? You could have hit her instead! How would you have explained that to the captain!?"

"Ah, you're such a killjoy, you whiner. I had a clear shot, and _she_ asked for help didn't she? This," he said while gesturing towards his bow, "is how all those incompetent knights over there should handle those beggars. Should teach them not to mess with people above their level."

It was only with immense difficulty that Estelle managed _not_ to actually draw her sword. What that knight had just done, along with the self-satisfied speech he gave afterwards, had brought out a very small part of her that was incapable of feeling any kindness or mercy. The only thing that held her back was the realisation that everyone was doing this for her; to make sure she could get to the castle undetected. She was already over halfway there; could she just throw that away out of anger? Wouldn't that betray everyone's trust in her?

Looking back at the girl again, she wondered if she would be able to save her if she _did_ fight now. Had that shot killed her instantly? She couldn't be sure without checking her...

Suddenly a panicked scream came from nearby. "Kylie!!"

"Oh look, here comes another one! Coming to say farewell to the dead, is he?" said the knight holding the bow. Automatically following the direction the knight was looking in, Estelle was horrified to see the lone figure of Ted approaching rapidly.

'_Did he come to get... No! Please just run away, Ted!' _she silently pleaded. Unfortunately the young gang leader didn't quite act that way.

"What does he think he's doing, anyway? Trying to rescue the other piece of dirt or something? Aw, that's so cute, it almost breaks my heart," the crossbowman said in faked remorse, slowly reloading his bow as he did. "Mind if I go for it? Maybe we should do the honourable thing and reunite them in the hereafter."

As he spoke, Estelle found her anger gaining a steadily growing upper hand over her restraint.

'_Ted, are you sure you and your friends will be all right? ... you're children, and they are armed knights.'_

'_We made our promise, and we're gonna show them not to mess with the lower quarter, whether we're grown-ups or not!'_

'_...they're all just children...'_

"...Fine, do whatever you want. Just don't mess up."

"Heh, just watch-"

"Demon Fang!!"

The archer had no time to dodge, to turn around, or even to shoot his bow. He only had time to scream as an unusually powerful version of the basic arte caught him squarely in the back, and swept him along over to the canal, where he finally fell into the water.

"What the-!?"

Normally Estelle would have been concerned that she had overdone it, but considering that the lives of Ted and possibly his friend were at stake, along with her own well-being and the importance of the order she was carrying, she decided to fight exactly like she had been taught: by making the most effective use of her time, and not worrying about her enemies' health at all until the battle had been won. She had always kept her doubts concerning the latter part of this combat philosophy, but she was willing to put those aside for _this_ particular group of knights.

When the soldiers overcame their surprise, her next spell was already halfway done. She had decided to call upon her innate powers rather than using her blastia, since for some reason, other blastia users weren't able to sense this build-up of aer nearly as well. There was no real point in giving her enemies any unnecessary hints on which spell she was casting.

"It's her! She's behind the hedge!" one of the remaining four knights called, assuming a combat stance with his halberd.

"Forget the kid, remember the sergeant's orders!" yelled another.

"What? No, go FOR the kid, moron! She gave herself away to protect him!"

"Barrier," Estelle whispered, further following her tutoring to the letter. This spell was the lifeline of any knight forced to fight without any armor. Upon its completion, she immediately forced herself onto the street, rushing to meet the knights head-on. She couldn't let them get to Ted; if they took him hostage, she severely doubted if she would be able to leave him to his fate. It was far more likely that she would lose the order and be arrested if that happened. Thus, her best option was probably trying to make herself into a threat that was too big to ignore. If they were too afraid of her, maybe the knights would leave Ted alone even if he didn't keep his distance from the fight. Hopefully the way she took out the first knight would help her a bit in that.

Quickly she glanced over her opponents, and was somewhat relieved to find two of them charging at her with their halberds, whereas the third one was reaching for his crossbow. They had apparently chosen to focus on her for now. The last one stood in indecision, glancing back and forth between herself and the younger lower quarter inhabitant who was now kneeling by the fallen girl. He was probably the one that she had to try taking down first.

Right now though, there was a more imminent threat in the charging knights. From her own experiences, Estelle knew that charging an enemy with heavy equipment greatly limited your mobility, and she was able to dodge the first knight's sweep easily enough. While the first knight stumbled by her, she shifted her focus to the second charging knight. Knowing that she had to avoid being predictable, she dealt with him in a different way.

Instead of trying to dodge him, she ran straight at him. This caused him to smile broadly, but she was too busy readying her next arte to notice. "Ha, die, you filthy-!" he cried as he swung at her, but his triumph turned to astonishment when an invisible wall of force blocked his swing. Counting on a barrier spell to completely block attacks wasn't something a novice should ever consider, but Estelle had long since outgrown that rank.

Taking advantage of the moment, she was able to aim her arte carefully. "Sonic thrust!" she cried. The upward aer-enhanced thrust slipped right through one of the small gaps in the layered scale armour he was wearing. While the armour itself was sturdy and relatively light, upward attacks from up close were able to penetrate this kind of imperial gear. It usually didn't matter, but the knight had gotten overconfident in letting her get this close to him. He fell to the ground in disbelief.

Estelle immediately pulled her sword back out and was saw that the indecisive knight was now running towards Ted. She had only moments to decide what to do.

' _I can't use demon fang; if I miss, I could hit Ted! That only leaves me with_…'

Using her blastia this time, she channelled the spell as fast as she possibly could. While doing so, she heard something impacting with her barrier spell, most likely an arrow from the archer. The strength of the barrier was falling; it would have to be recast soon.

"Shine…Photon!" she called, keeping her attention at her prioritised target for now. The spell gathered searing light energy around him, thoroughly burning the knight and finally knocking him to the ground with an explosion. It wasn't a moment too soon, given that he fell just a couple of paces away from Ted.

Again not wasting any time, she turned around to face the archer. She immediately realised that he was making a critical mistake; he was staring at the slightly smoking figure of his fallen comrade, his mouth slightly agape. He had dropped his guard. Not willing to waste the opportunity, she used another demon fang. The knight didn't even seem to notice until it was too late.

_' Only one left to take down…'_ she thought to herself.

She spun around, fully expecting the remaining halberd-wielding soldier to be charging at her again, and found that she was partly right. The knight _had_ been coming in for another attack, but seeing her take down all of his remaining comrades with just three moves in less than fifteen seconds had made him reconsider his best course of action.

"N-no! Leave me alone! Stay away from me, you evil monster!" he cried in panic as he fled.

Estelle blinked in surprise, then shook herself out of it. It might have been possible to take down the final guard with magic, but he had already surrendered in a way. She had to get to Ted and his friend quickly, and then, maybe, she could check if any of the fallen knights were in danger of dying themselves.

* * *

Repede sniffed the air thoroughly.

To him, the very scent of this place was linked to so many memories. Here, he had said farewell to his father when he went away to protect the old master in battle. Here, he had seen his master for the first time. Here, he had been taught how to act in the presence of humans. Here, he had been born.

It had been a long time since he had visited the Lowell dog kennel, but even being there for a moment made him feel as though he had never left. The scents that hung here never changed. Was this what his master meant by 'feeling at home somewhere'?

"Why, if it isn't Repede!" an old human greeted him from nearby. "What is it that brought you here, little one? I hardly ever see you here nowadays."

"Honor and obedience on your pack, teacher," he said in return, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to understand him. Real conversation was only possible with his master.

"Ah, you're not hungry, aren't you?" the caretaker asked, drawing a bit closer to inspect him. "Hmmm, you know, if you keep this between us, you can have this biscuit."

Even though it smelled delicious, Repede didn't feel like taking a meal at all. He pretended to eat the food with enthusiasm anyway, since his teacher always seemed a bit disappointed when he didn't.

"I'm grateful, teacher," he finally said.

"No, I'm afraid I can't give you any more, boy," the old man replied, misunderstanding him again. "Even if you're my favorite dog in the land, I can't overfeed you. Oh, I'll never forget the day you were born; you were the finest result of breeding we-"

Repede whined slightly. Why did all humans think that he was out for food, wherever he went? And did his teacher really have to remind him of his birth, every time they met? Normally he would have patiently waited for him to finish, but his master had said that there wasn't enough time for that.

His teacher looked at him in surprise. "Oh? You're not here to listen to my stories, are you? Did you come here to see your family, then?"

Repede panted in response, and then walked past the old caretaker.

"Oh ho! I've got a surprise for you then, boy. Two months ago, you became an uncle again! Do you want to see them? They're over here; really energetic aren't they?"

Glancing to the side, Repede heard rather than saw roughly four overly enthusiastic younglings who had a lot of trouble accepting that the fence was too high for them to climb over. He decided to pass on meeting them for now; time was short, and if this journey his master was planning would really take long, there was a good chance that they would be sold to other nobles in the meantime. No sense in growing attached to them.

Once, his master had explained to him that the dogs bred by house Lowell were valuable trading goods throughout the land, since they were supposed to be strong, pure-blooded 'racials'. Initially Repede had been unsure how to think of members of his pack being sold to unknown nobles, but eventually he had realised that those dogs had been bred for the same purpose as he. He was supposed to serve his master with honour, and the other dogs did so as well, though that was by collecting gald gained from selling themselves into the service of other masters. That way, it was acceptable.

Nearing his goal, Repede tensed slightly. Something was wrong about the scents and sounds around this place. It was not how he remembered it to be, the last time he had been here. Curiously he walked towards the first area he had ever marked, and barked at the closed fence.

"Oh, now I get it; you wanted to see your mother, didn't you?" his teacher finally realised. "Well, I suppose you couldn't have known yet, but we... had to move her. We think that she couldn't take all the light in here anymore. It happens sometimes... Come along then, boy."

For the first time in a long while, Repede was highly worried for someone other than his master.

* * *

"Ted, are you all right!?" Estelle called to him as she neared the two children. While she thought she had managed to protect him, there was no harm in making sure.

"Am I… right?" he repeated in a small and absent voice, giving her the idea that he was in a daze of some sort. "Estelle!" he cried in panic a second later, using her real name for the first time. "Please, you need to help Kylie! We can't leave her behind! I-I tried using a gel, but it doesn't work! I-"

"Calm down, Ted," she said to him softly, wanting to quell some of his anxiety. "Can you give her to me for a moment…? I need to look at her."

Ted blinked, then looked at the girl he was clutching tightly, and rapidly pushed her into Estelle's arms. "C-can you help her? She isn't going to... is she?"

"I... don't know," she said after a moment of thorough examination. This was a state she had seen all too often during the war; it happened when a person had lost a critical amount of blood. Her skin was cold and pale, and her heart rate was very quick and hard to feel. If she had been conscious, Estelle knew that she would have shown signs of confusion or irritability. Even with magical healing, not everyone who had reached this stadium survived. She also didn't have access to saltwater to help the healing process afterwards. Those weren't reasons not to try, however.

First they had to take out the arrow. "Ted, can you help me for a moment? You need to keep her in a sitting position and make sure you keep her steady," said Estelle. While Ted nervously did as he was told, she took out her sword and swiftly cut off the rear end of the arrow, pulling it out quickly afterwards. The young redhead watched the process with a mixture of horror and wonder.

"All right, here goes..." she said, raising herself to full length in order to channel the spell more easily. "Holy power, come to me... First-AAH!" Her concentration was suddenly broken by a sharp jolt of pain from her shoulder.

Ted screamed something, but the words didn't make sense.

While her mind hadn't processed what had happened yet, she already dove forward, pulling the children with her as far as possible. The ex-knight followed a very basic but important lesson from her training.

"_When you suddenly feel great pain and you're not expecting it, chances are you're under arrow fire. IMMEDIATELY dive for cover. No exceptions," she heard her instructor say. "Standing still to determine the archer's position, even for a second, could be all it takes for him to hit you again. Remember: the archer just managed to hit you, so assume you are in his or her line of sight!"_

The action probably saved her life, as she thought she heard a number of projectiles narrowly whizzing past her. Ignoring the stinging sensation from her wound, she continued to drag the children forward and dived behind a bush. Now that they were at least momentarily safe, she checked her shoulder. Even though the arrow hadn't lodged itself in, the cut was deep and painful. Her dress was also ruined, but that was far less important.

"Incompetence surrounds me!" she heard a strangely familiar voice shout from nearby. "How is it possible that all of you failed to kill her!? She was standing perfectly still!"

Estelle could have punched herself for letting her guard down so completely. What could have been more likely to draw attention to her than directly fighting a group of knights? "Sorry boss, but my aim was dead-on! She has to be using magic!" another person yelled in response.

"Don't give her any time to recover! Deal with her quickly and get the order back! Charge in the name of the captain!" Estelle's eyes widened as she recognised the speaker this time. She was up against an enemy with at least the same military rank as Flynn, and she wasn't given time to prepare…

'_The first rule of combat is that you never give up… Without armor, the second is that you always fight with…'_

"…Barrier, no exceptions," she murmured sadly, though she found herself casting a healing arte on the girl instead. _'You could never turn a blind eye when you saw someone suffering in front of you...' _a ghost from the past chided, and she silenced him viciously.

"Ted, you need to run and take her to a healer immediately," said the swordswoman upon the spell's completion. "Promise me you won't stay here, all right?"

"But… you're bleeding! Can't you run, too?" Ted pleaded, close to tears from panic. Estelle shook her head. "I'll be fine, just go. Don't worry about me." Time was short, so she stood up and half jumped back into the open, bracing herself for the knights that had to be close by now…

But they weren't. Strangely, the knights hadn't really moved from their positions. Were they… having an argument?

'_Don't think, protect yourself!' _an imaginary voice said to her, sounding like her instructor. She immediately complied. "Shield me from harm…"

"What was that, worm!?" the corrupt officer bellowed, the sound almost loud enough to break Estelle's concentration on its own. "Look, I don't care what your opinion is! She is wounded; we go NOW, and that is an order!" With that, they charged as one. Even with the protective magic, Estelle knew that she only had one chance to win this.

'_There will be times , no matter how good you are, that you are outmatched, up against an enemy or a group of enemies too strong for you to handle. For those times, and those times alone, use this.'_

Carefully she guessed the distance between herself and the incoming group of enemies. Fifteen paces, ten, five… now!

"Overlimit!"

If she had been able to see the knights' faces, she might have thought they carried comical expressions as they crashed into an outward shockwave of pure, visible aer, which blasted them high into the air. It worked slightly less well on the sergeant, although he _was_ dazed by the impact of the move.

"Ack!"

"How..!?"

"Just... a beggar…"

As for Estelle: the amounts of aer that were coursing through her to momentarily forget about the pain in her shoulder. Even though she was greatly aware of the power she had gathered, she felt it slipping away just as quickly. The fight had to end now.

'_In this state, you are able to use unleash powerful attacks called burst artes. To use them...'_

"Use an arcane arte, as it shapes the chaotic amounts of aer into something usable…" Estelle finished to herself. It wasn't hard to pick an arcane arte to use or a target, as she had only one of both. Thus, she bridged the remaining distance towards the sergeant and unleashed a barrage of aer-enhanced thrusts. Even though the gold-clad knight was still trying to get his bearing, he managed to parry a fair number of the attacks, which confirmed that he had at least good defensive skills. Sadly for him, it hadn't been the point to take him down with this attack alone. Already she felt the current of aer shift into a more ordered state. The healer took one second to glance around at her targets and then swiftly used it.

"Please stay down…" she muttered, "Photon mass!"

The knights, who had been in the process of standing up from their hard and unpleasant landings, shared the same fate as their unfortunate colleague some minutes ago, and collapsed. The sergeant did as well, but Estelle fully expected him to stand back up to continue the fight. Willing to beat him to it, she ran over to where he had been blasted and prepared herself to strike again. Only then did she realise that he wasn't in a better state than the other fallen knights surrounding them; he was submerged in his own world of pain.

As she realised that she was safe, the mass of aer dissolved, leaving her with a feeling of light-headedness and gasping for breath. The pain in her shoulder also returned with new intensity, almost causing her to scream. If she hadn't felt miserable, she probably would have been surprised that she won against seemingly overwhelming odds. For now, she decided on healing her shoulder instead.

"Y...You dirty... beggar..." the gold-clad officer suddenly groaned, causing Estelle to lift her sword at him again. "How did... strong...?"

"... I used to be a knight," she replied, savoring the pleasant feel of the wound being mended. "I don't have the same morals as you do, though," she continued, raising her voice in anger. "How can you let your men shoot arrows at harmless children!? How can you defile the reputation of the good knights like that !?"

The knight tried to laugh. "Concerned... reputation...? So... naive. I… see why... captain Cumore disliked you."

Estelle tensed at the mere mention of the name. "Cumore? Did he order you to rob the lower quarter today!?"

"Haha... what will ... do? You're... too soft to kill. Not... afraid."

Taking a look back, she was relieved to see Ted retreating into a garden, carrying the unconscious girl with him. Slowly she sheathed her blade and reached for her backpack.

"Haha, that... huh?" the soldier blinked in confusion as an apple gel was thrown on the ground not far from him.

"It's called ' showing mercy'," Estelle said in contempt. "If you are even remotely worthy of being a squad leader, you will heal yourself and look after your men! At least two of them are bleeding and could die if you don't help them right away."

With that she left, breaking into a run towards the castle. Hopefully she wouldn't have to fight anyone else today. The sergeant stared after her in disbelief.

* * *

Lisa sighed deeply.

Although she made it a point never to her emotions get the upper hand in any situation, the captain of the guard was currently very prone to frustration. The entire situation was just too big of a mess.

No matter how much she studied the files belonging got the allegedly corrupt knights, there was nothing that really stood out. As far as she could tell, there was no pattern that connected these men together. If five of them hadn't been in the group that had accompanied Ioder when he had disappeared, she would have judged these to be mostly Isolated cases of corrupted knights. The way it was now, she knew that she had to keep looking; something in there had to be important.

'_Well, Cumore seems to command a relatively larger part of these men, but since he's got a forged record himself, I can't say I'm very surprised. Should I assume that each of these men is involved in the conspiracy? Maybe some are greedy but otherwise unrelated to Ioder's disappearance… Can I risk having one of them captured and interrogated right away? Would the enemy figure out that we were on to them if I did? If so, how will they react? If the soldier reveals what we need to know, will they be able to hide their tracks in time, or would they attack us instead? How powerful are they? How should I…"_

Again she sighed. Sometimes she wished she was still an instructor; teaching others how to survive on the battlefield was simple and straightforward, at least.

Outside, the world had become dark. It was about time to go and share her meager findings and suspicions with Yuri and Preston. There wouldn't be a lot to tell, but at least there was something relating to Capua Nor and Heliord, the cities Ragou and Cumore were commanding. Given how little time she had been given, she supposed this would have to do for now.

She had been preparing to leave when a young Royal Guard suddenly entered her office. "My lady! I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, but we have an emergency on our hands. You see-"

Lisa gave him a hard look. From experience, she knew that beginning royal guards tended to misjudge some situations as far more serious than they actually were. Next to that, she didn't really like being randomly walked in on. However, she never immediately dismissed the opinions of her subordinates, especially when they were nervous or highly unsure, as this one seemed to be. "First off, soldier, it's common courtesy to at least knock before you enter someone's office. Secondly, are you _sure _you need me to handle this? I need to attend a very important meeting soon."

"Um… Yes, my lady," he nervously replied. "I… don't know where exactly to begin. First, there was a major panic in the Royal Quarter just now. According some of the nobles that fled here, a band of thieves from the lower quarter somehow invaded and were stealing everything they could get their hands on…"

"Interesting, but did they try to enter the castle? Ensuring the safety of the nobles outside is the task of the knights, not us," the swordswoman responded matter-of-factly.

"No, well, yes, in a way. This is where it gets really odd, my lady. During the raid, a young woman ran up to us, then asked us to arrest her. Given the way she looked, with blood all over her and her clothes slightly torn, I decided to take her in immediately, at the very least for her own safety."

A small, sarcastic part of Lisa wondered if this woman didn't happen to be Yuri in a dress. She suppressed the mental image and motioned for the guard to continue. "Meaning she was seriously injured?"

"Actually, she didn't seem to be injured at all, my lady," the guard replied, frowning over this fact. "She claimed that she was attacked by patrolling knights. Now, she doesn't have a passport, so it could be that she belongs to the group that raided the royal quarter, and was indeed attacked by the knights for it."

"But given that you figure this to be an emergency, I suppose there is something highly alarming about her, aside from her… strange appearance?" Lisa asked.

"Yes! For one, she didn't seem to have anything of substantial value on her, which I would have expected from a thief. Next to that, she claims to be here to talk to _you_, commander… and judging by the way she describes you, I'd say that she actually _does_ know you."

Realisation and horror hit Lisa at the same time. The image of Yuri in a dress was replaced by one of her best students, and for her to return to the castle, this had to be something extremely serious. Still, discussing how they were going to handle this national crisis took priority over hearing out Estelle. She decided to see to her as soon as they were done.

That was until the guard made one final mention.

"…But the most alarming thing was that the council gave out an order for her execution earlier today, BEFORE the attack on the royal quarter. There's a councilman lobbying us to hand her over to them right now, and I'm not sure how long we can continue to deny his request without this escalating. All of this makes me feel that something is _very _wrong, commander."

* * *

"Welcome to the meeting!" Yuri exclaimed sarcastically upon Lisa's arrival. "Don't worry about being two hours late; the only thing on today's agenda is how to save the empire, which isn't all that interesting or important, right?"

He felt that he had the right to be annoyed, as in a strange twist of fate, he had been the only one to make it there in time. Sure, he was late every now and then, but for things that were of national importance, being late that much without giving any warning was pushing it, even by his standards.

"Very funny, young Master," Preston commented, turning to Lisa. "Please forgive him for his manners. I am sure that there was something of grave urgency that had to be taken care of."

"Indeed, there was," Lisa answered, glaring at Yuri, "And It's good to know that he thinks so highly of my ability to prioritize important matters. I sincerely hope he would have acted the same way, had he been in my situation."

*Woof…* Repede said in a weak voice.

The prince sighed. "All right, forget about it. But couldn't you at least have told us in some way? I was beginning to worry that someone had abducted you, or something."

"Not really; it was an emergency," the swordswoman said simply, all the while taking out her and activating her unique blastia. In moments, a soft blue light softly illuminated the otherwise very dark room. "I guess I could have sent a guard here about an hour ago, but that would have defeated the purpose of holding a secret meeting in a shady, abandoned part of the castle, wouldn't it? Oh, and about someone abducting me; I pity the fool that would try, your Highness."

"Point taken," he agreed. "By the way, about that emergency… "

The captain of the guard surprised him by smiling a little. "We got some very valuable information out of it. I believe we owe a lot to the person that brought it to us, but I'll save that for later."

"I see…" Yuri said, momentarily repressing his curiosity. "Well, now that we're all here and can talk freely, we need to get this over with. Maybe we should start at the beginning; how much do we actually _know_ about my cousin's disappearance?"

"A good suggestion, young Master," Preston concurred. "I spoke about the circumstances with Ioder's head servant today, and I can't say I was very reassured. It seems that several members of the council advised him to strengthen diplomatic ties with some of the important noble families far up north."

"And he went, regardless of how much I reminded him of the danger," Lisa muttered.

"He was also advised to travel by ship, since there were reports of monster aggression on land increasing as of late," Preston continued. "Strangely, even using," -he glanced over Yuri- "more illicit ways to gather information, I was unable to find any source suggesting that the seas have shown a lower increase of this."

"So, do we know which council members gave him an overdose of bad advice?" Yuri asked dryly.

"We do, and I've been looking for an excuse to give them a piece of my mind for a while," the swordswoman answered. "Before I do that though, there is something to keep in mind. The moment we start excessively extracting information out of those we think are involved, the enemy will know we're actively looking for them. I also find it a bit hard to believe that the ones taking the most risk, in this case the ones send to convince Ioder, will be the ones we could get the most valuable information from."

"You're suggesting that we go for Cumore and Ragou immediately," the prince stated rather than asked. "Isn't that a bit risky? All we know about them is that they're involved with the forged files somehow, and that Ioder was heading to Ragou's city when he disappeared. If we have very strong evidence pointing towards those councilmen, and they're in this city unlike Ragou, I'd start with them instead."

"I'm surprised, Master Lowell," the old servant remarked. "I thought that you would have pushed for Ragou and Cumore, given that you were the one to uncover that evidence. And that is even foregoing that you are being cautious, rather than reckless, for once."

Yuri shrugged. "If we have a better lead, we should act on it."

"Actually, Ragou and Cumore _are _our better leads, your Highness," Lisa remarked, pulling out a piece of crumbled parchment.

"They are?" Yuri and Preston simultaneously inquired.

"They are," Lisa affirmed. "It related to this order; Roughly three hours ago, one of my old students broke into the castle from the _lower quarter _to make sure it was delivered to me."

"Impressive," Yuri spoke with sincerity. "It takes a lot of skill to get past all the patrols and guards stationed everywhere."

"…Or recklessness, which is something you are all too familiar with, young Master," Preston cut in, causing Yuri to laugh weakly. "Nevertheless, please continue. May I ask what that order is all about?"

Lisa's face grew unusually grim as she answered. "This is a paper that orders the collection of a highly suspicious tax, one of which I didn't even know it existed. In fact, the first few clergy I asked of it were also unaware, which is highly suspicious in itself. What concerns me more though, is the nature of this tax; it imposes an unusually high taxation on the previously untaxed food sold in the lower quarter. Since the law was passed two years ago, and without any previous collection of it, the supposed 'debts' were immense."

"…How could that have happened?" Preston asked, confused. "I was under the impression that all laws were decreed in court before being passed?"

"Only the ones the council deems fit to tell us about, I guess," Yuri pondered. "They have a lot to answer for; a law like that is bound to lead to riots sooner or later… wait, did you just say there was no previous collection? They didn't try to confiscate goods if those debts weren't paid immediately… right?"

"They did," the captain of the guard replied sadly. "It seems we were this close to a riot, but somehow my student was able to defuse the situation, even though she is a bit reluctant to admit it," she added with a hint of pride.

"She?" Preston asked, suddenly curious.

"Why would they do that?" Yuri continued, still trying hard to make sense of it. "Apart from being a bunch of idiots, the only reasonable explanation is that they were doing it to frame someone else."

The swordswoman nodded in approval. "Which brings us to the next part of this paper. It was signed by Ioder; it carries the real stamp of his house and what appears to be his real signature."

For a few seconds, absolute silence reigned.

"Clever," the heir to the throne finally started, "First, they kidnap Ioder and force him to sign the order. Then, they try to frame him for ordering the collection of some outrageous tax. Either we don't do anything and take the fall with him by association, or we deny it, which eventually forces us to reveal Ioder is missing. That will push the great noble houses into preparing for a possible war for the throne, and in the meantime, the council and the military could blame us for making it public. Either way, it favors the both of them, especially the military. For something with these kinds of implications, it could even mean Alexei himself is involved."

"An impressive assessment, young Master," Preston agreed, "But I have to question commandant Alexei's involvement. Are you sure this isn't part of your obsession to prove that he is involved with your father's death on the battlefield?"

"No, I grew over that," Yuri rebuked. "Right now, I think we should plan for worst case scenario's, which would involve him as our enemy."

"I served with Alexei in my younger days, your Highness, and from all that I've seen, he is an honorable soldier," Lisa added. "Also, if he was involved with our enemy, what explanation do you have for them not having used brute force to take over Zaphias already?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know," Yuri said offhandedly. "Unfortunately, none of my teachers taught the finer details of how to be an evil overlord."

"And thank god for that," Preston muttered under his breath.

"Look, we can't afford not to play around this! Let's assume he has reason to wait before coming at us in full military force," Yuri continued, turning towards Lisa. "How many men could he muster up if it does happen to be him? And how many Royal guards do we have? Let's go at this from a black and white point of view where all normal knights are with him and all royal guards with us."

"…I'd estimate there are about fifteen thousand knights garrisoned in or near Zaphias, with about five thousand or so currently in Deidon hold, against roughly three hundred guards on our side, maybe more if we suddenly start a recruiting spree," Lisa answered.

"Does anyone else see a small problem with those numbers?" Yuri asked with sarcasm.

"Yes, which is why it is so unlikely that Alexei is involved, young master," Preston pointed out. "But we are getting sidetracked; how does the order relate to Cumore and Ragou?"

"The seemingly non-existent law this document refers to has been passed by a committee led by Ragou," said Lisa, examining the paper for the umpteenth time. "Furthermore, part of the knights collecting these taxes were from Cumore's unit. Neither of them wanted us to get our hands on this; the knights attacked my student on the way here, and the council passed an order for her execution earlier today. I don't think we could have asked for a clearer sign of how important this information really is."

"Yeah, they really wanted her out of the way, all right," Yuri mumbled. "How is she now?"

"Relatively well, everything taken into consideration," Lisa said, looking away. "I've put her under guard in the royal guest quarters. She's probably resting now; it was pretty clear that she was completely exhausted. I've ordered the maids to bring her a new set of clothing, too. She looked like… well, the way Yuri did last night."

"Hmmm…" Preston brought out, seemingly lost in thought.

"Look, can't we forget about that for a moment !?" Yuri exclaimed. "We're talking about the fate of the empire, here! Isn't that a little bit more important than how I spend my free time?"

*Woof…*

The old servant bowed his head slightly. "Indeed, master Lowell," he said, leaving his musings for a later time. "In regards to our guest though, I'll make sure she receives some appropriate reward. If the council really ordered her execution, she can't stay in the castle, or in the city, for that matter. The least we could do is give her the means to build up a new life somewhere."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's not enough for me," Lisa insisted. "The only acceptable path is to force the council to reverse that decision. You can't seriously think to just leave her to a life of exile, can you!?"

"No, we can't," Yuri agreed. "By the way, while we owe this student of yours–"

"Estelle."

" -Estelle, our thanks, I'm kind of wondering why we're dependent on one civilian to tell us of such extremely important things, especially when they happen in _our own city_. Don't we have, I don't know, spies, or something for that?"

"We do," the swordswoman answered, "and I try meet with them covertly at least once every year..."

"But…?" Yuri asked against his better judgment.

"The reports from the lower quarter have always been normal, and while it was always a bit of a rough neighbourhood, I never really had a reason to doubt any of them. Until now."

The prince tried not to sigh. "What about the reports from Capua Nor and Halfdeim? And when was the last time you personally met them?"

The swordswoman's shifted slightly in the dark. "Those reports were, oddly enough, normal as well. And I met our informer from Halfdeim four months ago."

Yuri opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "No, and before you ask; I might have had more time to spend on checking on our spies if I didn't have to constantly worry that you would run away from the castle at any possible moment!" Lisa finished harshly.

"I- Wh- Hey, that's not what I was going to say!" Yuri lied , momentarily stupified. "Anyway, worst-case scenario is that they were killed and replaced with those able to forge their script, with a close second being that they are working for our enemy due to bribes or blackmail," he stated flatly. "In either case, they'd have to know you'd find out eventually. That would mean they were planning on acting in some way before that."

"Pardon me for interrupting, young Master, but I find that a bit sketchy. I assume those meetings were held in the utmost secrecy. They shouldn't even know who those spies are," Preston questioned.

"Greed from our spies, spies on the other side, bad luck…" Lisa mused darkly. "Though I don't think any of my informers are very prone to greed."

"I see…" Preston replied softly. "So if that is true, we could be facing some sort of attack shortly."

"There could be one at any moment," Yuri agreed. "Which is also what makes what I'm going to suggest a little hard for me… but I think it's best if I leave Zaphias until we're sure things are safe again. Right now, if possible."

For the second time this night, no one knew what to say.

"…Maybe it's for the better," Lisa admitted in the end. "I don't like it at all, but there are too many uncertainties here in Zaphias to guarantee your safety, Yuri. I _am_ wondering where you will be going, or what you will be doing, for that matter."

"I'm heading for Aspio first," Yuri began. "I'm going to look for Dein Nomos, so that when we manage to get Ioder back, he can be crowned right away. At this point, I'm pretty sure that no matter what the circumstances are, the council will try to prevent that from happening. We really need the sword to back his claim."

"Why Aspio, young Master?" asked Preston, apparently deciding to withhold his judgment for now.

"Well, today I tried to get information on the sword in just about any way I could think of. There was just nothing. Not even rumors. All I got was that it was lost in the last Great War," Yuri told him. "It was just… suspiciously little. Even when I –" he glanced over to Lisa's form – "asked the royal guards to help me, we couldn't get someone to talk. Either it's really not known, or everyone is too afraid to say something. I know that many mages in the army retired to Aspio after the war to study there, so I hope at least one of them can help me a little."

"Aspio…" Lisa pondered.

"A good idea, master Lowell," said Preston. "But what about the actual rescue of your cousin? Are you planning on sending a contingent of Royal Guards to investigate Capua Nor in the meantime?"

"No, we can't miss anyone here as it is; the royal guard is way too far outnumbered. I think the only way is to hire a group of Guild mercenaries to do that for us."

"Hold on," Lisa cut in. "You can't place the safety of your cousin into the hands of people who used to be our sworn enemies, and sellswords of them, too! That just can't work, Yuri!"

"Normally, I'd agree," he responded calmly, "But I think I've found a way around that. One of my father's old friends is going there to lead them for us. I've heard that -"

"Yuri," Preston said severely, and falling out of protocol for the first time in a very long while, "If you're talking about the colonel; he was one of your father's closest friends. You're not telling me you _forced_ him into this, did you?"

Yuri stared at him blankly. He hadn't exactly forced the retired soldier into it, but he hadn't given him too much of a choice either…

"How… could you have done that, Yuri?" the older man asked quietly.

"If you mean the moral justification; we don't have a choice. As to how; everyone has a few paintings in their closet," Yuri replied evenly. "It's also too late to stop me… he's already left the city."

"Paintings...?" Lisa asked, clearly confused.

"I don't want to know. Just remember this, young Master: One day, I hope you reconsider manipulating those around you to endless degrees. I don't want to see the day you go too far."

"And neither do I," the royal guard added. "Still, it's a workable plan, at least. It will allow the two of us to stay here and to try and fight this corruption from the inside, Preston."

The old man slowly nodded. "…Yes, I do suppose we will be needed here at the castle, to do whatever we can to keep this from completely getting out of hand."

"I'll form a unit to accompany you then, Yuri," Lisa went on, "And I'll put the royal guard on high alert until further notice. Not that they aren't already, though."

Much to her dismay, Yuri shook his head. "I'm only taking Repede."

"No, you're not!" she immediately responded, using a tone that would threaten any normal person to immediately agree. "I am," Yuri countered anyway. "You sort of said it yourself; we're outnumbered seventy to one in a worst-case scenario. You really can't afford to miss anyone, especially the ones you trust enough to send them with me."

"Regardless, there is no way I can let you go alone. With all due respect, you have no idea how to survive outside of the barrier; you have no experience fighting monsters and I suspect that you don't know how to keep yourself hidden away from the enemies' spies either. One assassin or monster is all that it takes, and you should remember that well," the swordswoman warned.

In front of Yuri, a wall of light suddenly sealed off the entrance. He almost reflexively ducked into cover when he spotted Preston holding a blastia. "I'm afraid I'm with madam Lisa on this, young Master. You are not leaving until you agree to her terms; Regardless of how skilled you think you are, going alone is suicidal."

"Look, I'm not going completely alone," Yuri said, giving Repede a pat, "And I'm planning to meet Flynn near Halure. I'm sure that he'll stick around the city long enough for me to catch up to him, and I know that he'll help if I explain what happened."

"Which is a dangerous gamble," Preston countered. "And you're still alone until Halure, at least."

"I can do it, and I feel like it's better if I go alone. It would make it easier to get out of here, and we really need as many soldiers here as possible."

"…Maybe there's a middle way," Lisa intervened. "Estelle also needs to go to Aspio. Maybe you can ask her if you can travel with her. Even though I think you should be taking more men, it is true that traveling in a small group is better for being undetected, and at least you would have one experienced person to help you on the way."

To this, the prince raised an eyebrow. "You're putting a _lot _of trust in her to change your opinion like that."

"I've been an instructor for sixteen years, your highness," the captain of the guard replied, " and I've always tried to train those assigned to meet the highest possible standards. I'd say that she is probably in the top ten of my best students ever, and to my knowledge, of those ten, she is the only one to survive the last war. Today, she took out a dozen knights by herself while she was mostly unequipped. I'm convinced she's experienced enough to get you there, even if her service record is a bit brief."

"If madam Lisa values her abilities so highly, then I will adhere to her judgment, young Master" Preston immediately added. "I also believe that we owe her an escort out of this place, and I couldn't think of anyone better suited to help her out of here than you, as much as I regret to admit it."

*Whine…*

Seeing that there was no way out of this, and given that there wasn't a good reason to decline, Yuri gave up. "All right, all right, I'll take her with me, to Aspio, at least. Besides, where would I be without some perfect soldier to hold my hand every step of the way?"

"A wise choice, young master," Preston commented dryly. "Now, would you be so kind to meet me in your quarters in a few minutes? I need to finish a letter that might help you on the way, and there is something else I have to give you."

"That reminds me, I have a message that you should give to Flynn when you see him," said Lisa.

"Well, I guess I can wait a few moments before leaving," Yuri answered. "See you there, then."

And with that, the head of house Lowell left.

* * *

Upon Yuri's departure, the captain of the guard turned to face the old servant with a look of doubt. "Are you sure he won't try to leave now, by himself?"

The old servant chuckled at her words. "No, most definitely not. One of his good traits is that he never actually breaks his word. More importantly though, I can tell he's very curious to meet this Estelle."

"Really? What made you think that?"

"Well, I believe they have quite a few things in common," Preston replied merrily. "For one, she seems to be similarly prone to getting covered in blood. Secondly, they're both very gifted at either breaking into or escaping from heavily fortified strongholds. Furthermore, apparently they're both set on doing things alone rather than asking others for help. And lastly, she is from the lower quarter, which Yuri is dangerously obsessed by."

"And you're overly happy about this… why?" asked Lisa, giving him a strange look.

"Oh, no reason. I'm just interested to see how this plays out."

**Author's notes:**

I'm generally happy with the way the two fighting scenes turned out. The only thing I was a bit bummed about was that there just wasn't room left for a longer duel between Estelle and the enemy sergeant. On the other hand, the general level of power of the opposition is quite low if the knights at the start of the game are any indication. With a level 5 Yuri, it's probably possible to take on 10 of them at once so long as you keep moving a bit. This wouldn't be very realistic, so I decided to just hold onto realistic damage from weapons and magic, no matter how weak the enemy is supposed to be compared to the major characters.

Estelle is reasonably powerful, but she needs to be in order for Lisa to seriously consider trusting Yuri's safety to her. Also, the red-eyes that are closing in on Yuri are experienced assassins (otherwise, they would not have been chosen for the task), and to stand any sort of a fighting chance, she _needs _to be quite skilled. As for how she fights; I always figured Estelle go fight EXACTLY how she had been taught to, which is why there are a lot of flashbacks in the scene. She is basically recalling her lessons the way she recalls random bits of information in the game.

I wanted to give Repede a scene of his own, to differentiate him from the role of Yuri's sidekick. Sadly, the scene was originally longer but had to be cut. I think it will be added in later as a flashback. I was a bit unsure of Repede's character as he has to be changed from his ingame self as well. There were times I felt a bit of a samurai/honor vibe from his dialogue and I supposed that would fit a highly prestigious pack of dogs bred in the royal kennel.

Due to popular demand, Ted had his speech reprogrammed.

There are so many things and implications in Yuri's scene that I could write another two pages just pointing out some interesting bits, but I'm sure most people catch them or have interesting theories on them. To point out two quick things though; I tried to come up with an explanation as to how/why the government is unaware of the major problems in some of it's larger cities. Also, Yuri has an unusual amount of insight into some matters, which is intentional.

I'de like to ask everyone who enjoyed or did not enjoy this chapter to tell me your thoughts by reviewing; reading what others think about the story is half the enjoyment of the actual writing for me. I'm also always seeking to improve.


	7. The meeting, part three

**Brief introduction: **

Hello everyone! I realize it's been quite a while since chapter 6, and I apologize for the delay. I'm afraid I can't offer a satisfying excuse, other than that life has been a tad… rough on me for the last two months. After a number of highly demotivating events, I was left feeling quite somber without much energy to write.

Now that I have regained some measure of free time, I hope to be able to start updating regularly again. I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support for the story, and I'd like to give special thanks to my anonymous Beta for helping me filter the mistakes from the text. As of me writing this, the story has hit around 5500 hits and 75 reviews, which I suppose is quite a lot, considering how relatively small the ToV fandom is and given the small number of chapters the story currently has. In bad times, encouragement like that is quite endearing.

Again, the chapter length is actually 'only' 8.5k words. Horizontal liners added 1 k or so.

Now, on to the actual story! Estelle and Yuri finally meet!

Note: scene one is pretty gruesome, but well... it's just the character.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia (or any of the 'Tales of' games).

_**Nobility, chapter 7: the meeting, part 3**_

Pain.

For the longest time, there was only pain. Then, ever so slowly, his awareness returned. The first thing he noticed was a faint, rasping sound. Gradually he realized that it were his own, labored breaths.

Next to the sound, there was an increasingly intense smell. Even in Zagi's subconscious state, he knew it well. It was the scent of blood; the scent of fallen prey, immediately causing his ever present bloodlust to surge. Something had to be killed. Something _would_ be killed.

He opened his eyes, and found himself surrounded by darkness. It was the same sight that had greeted him for weeks on end. What was different, was his position. Was he lying on the floor? What was he doing there? He had been chained-

Garrote.

The memory forced out a scream of pure hatred. He tried to stand up, but found it difficult. He was stuck, pinned to the floor by something stuck in his chest, but he was lost in rage. He did not feel pain, and seconds later he had forced the blade out of his chest. He was bleeding; the wound and the poison should have weakened him greatly, but Zagi didn't submit to such things. As long as he had people to kill, he would not allow himself to be crippled or killed. So far, his body had never let him down; he couldn't even remember the last time he had lost to anyone in a fight, if that had ever even happened.

Yes, right now, he was going to murder Garrote, after forcing him to reveal where Yuri was, and then get his liberal promised share of Lowell blood. He would deal with Flynn Scifo too, if he was there. The master had told him that Cumore would try to get the Lowell's pet guard away from him, but right now, Zagi couldn't care less if he had succeeded.

For a moment he sniffed the weapon, finding it to be made of mythril, and being heavily poisoned as well. Personally, the pink-haired assassin never cared about using poison; it degraded the satisfaction that came with a brutal massacre. His preferred method of killing his opponents was to blindly hack away at them, watching them slowly bleed to death from the piling wounds… if they survived that long. Sometimes he didn't have the time to wait, or just had a spike in his lust for death, and just tore them apart with pure force.

Slowly and deliberately, he felt around the confines of the room, searching for the door, or more specifically, its lock. Any other Red Eye would probably have tried to either subtly disable it, but he wasn't one for finesse. His master had selected him for his raw power, and with every bit of it he slammed the thin blade into the lock.

In his mind, everything broke when enough pressure was applied. The lock and the blade were no exceptions, nor were the joints of the door.

Blinding light assaulted him through the new opening, distracting him for just a fraction of a second. In that same amount of time, he felt something stab him in the gut. Unfortunately for his attacker, Zagi was currently enraged and denied any sense of pain or impairment. The insane assassin reflexively made an inward grab with his left arm, managing to take hold of his assailant, and shoved the shattered remains of Garrotes blade through him as far as possible. As the unknown person went limp, he was greeted by the rich and glorious smell of fresh blood.

With his eyesight having adjusted to the light, he saw that he had actually managed to force the hilt of the longblade through the Red Eye's back. What he also saw was another guard, who seemed to be frozen in fear. He barely had time to whimper something in disbelief before Zagi was upon him, taking a hold of his throat with an impossible amount of force.

"WHERE IS YURI LOWELL!? WHERE IS GARROTE!?" Zagi yelled, trying to resist the urge of killing the man right now only to make sure he'd get to his targets as soon as possible.

Even knowing that there was no way he was going to survive this, the Red Eye guard was too afraid of Zagi to refuse trying to answer. Unfortunately, since he was being strangled, he didn't succeed. Misinterpreting this for stubborn loyalty, the pink-haired assassin broke his neck a few seconds later.

Zagi quickly grabbed the blades of his fallen captors, and stormed up to the deck, fully expecting to have a decent number of bodies to kill on the way to Garrote…

…only to find the ship strangely deserted. This time, he screamed in frustration.

Seeing as there was no one around to kill, he settled for briefly studying the surroundings. Wait… was this Zaphias? They were docked in the imperial capital city? That had to mean that the other Red Eyes had left for the castle; if he hurried, he would still get to kill those he wanted, and everyone that tried to resist. Maybe even an entire garrison of knights? His eyes went glassy with glee.

"Yuri Lowell, Garrote, both of you will die by my blade tonight!!" he shouted as he started his mad dash towards the castle.

* * *

"…Lisa has gone to spread out patrols… up to you to talk to Estelle. I believe… takes threat of Alexei more seriously than she…"

Yuri was too absorbed in thought to be paying much attention. In the mirror, the image of what could have been a mercenary stared back at him. Having traded his majestic attire for high-quality leather armor, sturdy gloves, a black cape and an equally dark backpack, there wasn't much that would immediately give away his heritage. Gone was any image of perceived nobility.

'_I guess that with the proper clothing, anyone can look like royalty. Well, it's not like I care too much about my image; Coming across as a perfect ruler is my cousin's job. I'm just here to deal with things he can't. I'll keep my promise, and he will keep his… right?'_

"Is something bothering you, master Lowell? I seldom see you look so serious," Preston said from behind him, pausing his careful inspection of Yuri's gear.

"No," lied the prince, "I was just wondering who makes the other look better; the armor or I."

*Woof…* Repede brought out, lying on the ground in his battle harness.

"Oh, now _this_ is interesting," the old servant remarked, amused. "You are actually paying attention to the way you look. Does this have anything to do with your scheduled meeting of our special guest?"

"You're impossible…" Yuri answered. "I haven't even _met_ the girl and you're already insinuating things. Can't you be a little more professional at times? Sometimes I wonder why you were ever hired at all."

"I believe it had something to do with your great-grandfather finding my behavior rather refreshing, for a young servant at least, young Master. However, in regards to your other question," the old man continued, suddenly serious, "I could ask the same of you. I'm afraid that I have been too involved with your upbringing to not immediately know when you're lying."

The head of house Lowell was silent for a moment. "It's just… well, even though I don't want to think about it, there's this thought that keeps coming back to me; what if we fail to get Ioder back to us? What if he's already dead before we get there? If I stop to consider things, we're practically on our own, on the run against this vague enemy, trying to find my cousin, whose whereabouts and well-being are also unknown. It doesn't sound very good, which is why-"

"If that were to happen," Preston interjected, "we will adept, which includes you shifting your area of expertise away from 'sneaking around and finding incriminating information' to 'sitting on your rear, telling your subjects what to do'. Maybe we could even find some subtle way to effectively chain you to the throne. It would save Lisa and me a lot of gray hairs."

Yuri couldn't help laughing. "Haha… well, at least until I manage to destroy the empire from within with my 'expert' knowledge on anything of importance, as shown by my marks in school. Right, buddy?" he added towards Repede.

*Woof…* the dog barked, distinctively half-heartedly.

'_Is something wrong with him? He's been like that ever since he went to say goodbye…"_

"Quite so, master Lowell," Preston admitted, drawing Yuri's attention away from his canine companion. "However, I do have high hopes that you will manage to surprise me again, be it in a positive way."

Not knowing what to say, Yuri glanced over his equipment one final time. "I think I need to go soon. There was something you wanted to give me first, right?"

"Yes, the first of which is the bag of equipment Lisa brought for Estelle. You might want to put your back into this, as it is quite heavy." A quick tug on the thing told Yuri that his servant wasn't exactly kidding. While he wondered what exactly was in there, he trusted the woman's judgment enough to believe it was necessary.

Preston wasn't done yet, though, as he took two sealed letters from his large book of notes, and handed them over to him. "These are also quite important. One of them is Lisa's letter to Flynn, which should help convincing him to help you, in the event that he hesitates. She also advises you not to use it unless he rejects… apparently the contents could cause a commotion in his unit."

"I see…" Yuri brought out, rather curious at its contents.

"The second letter is from me to my old friend at the city of Aspio. Use it if you have problems entering the city. Not that I'm expecting it; escaping from this place should be a lot harder than breaking into a lightly defended city of scholars. Oh, and please don't try opening this beforehand," Preston hastily added. "There is a simple but very nasty charm protecting it. It shouldn't be a problem for my friend to remove it, but for you… well, you were never very good at studying magic."

Prince Yuri sighed, which he seemed to do a lot lately. "You take the fun out of everything."

"Your definition of fun would be my definition of very unfortunate and unpleasant events, Master Lowell," Preston replied. "Regardless, there is one final thing I would like to give you, even if it goes against my better judgment. Come with me for a moment."

Yuri watched Preston with interest as his head servant headed for his own relatively unassuming quarters. From what he cold tell, Preston was quite nervous, which didn't really seem to fit him. Once they arrived, the far younger man was really surprised to see him pulling something out of what appeared to be a solid wall.

"Whoa, what-" he began.

"This is what I would call a 'perfect' Illusion, young Master. Apart from being indistinguishable from the immediate surroundings, the object, in this case a wall safe, also misleads the other senses of whoever is close to discover it. It replicates the same feeling of solidity, among with even the scent of the wall."

'_Yeah, that would probably explain why I was never able to find anything interesting in this room…'_ Yuri thought to himself. "So what in there would be so important that you never told me about it?" he asked.

"In a moment," the old servant replied, carefully opening the wooden box. Inside, there were a number of small glass bowls that contained vaguely shifting spheres of light. In the relative darkness caused by the night, they shone beautifully.

"These are delayed Aer reactions, and from their appearance, you can probably guess that they are… highly unstable." Preston explained. "Quite powerful, too, I might modestly say. This is a personal 'trick' I learned back when I studied in Aspio with your esteemed grandfather. In my younger days, I was able to maintain far more of them. I'm afraid that my age has caused my magical affinity to wane, however."

"Hold on… powerful and unstable delayed Aer reactions, as in, wildly destructive magic encased in nothing but bowls of glass?" Yuri asked, grinning at the prospect.

"Hardened glass containers, young master," the old servant corrected. Other than that, I'm afraid you are correct, which is why I never told you in the past. For some inexplicable reason, every time I considered the possibility, I was plagued by nightmares involving you stealing them and consequently blowing up parts of the castle."

"Hmmm? Whatever gave you that idea?" Yuri asked, feigning innocence.

"You do not really want me to answer that, do you?" Preston countered rhetorically. "In any case, there is a charm active that suppresses any potential Aer reactions inside the box. To actually use the spheres, remove one from it and damage the glass container. You will have a few seconds to throw it away; the time varies depending on the amount of damage to the glass. As such, I would be rather careful when using them directly in combat. They can be a bit… unpredictable."

"Got it," Yuri assured him. "Don't worry; I'll be sure to put them to good use."

"All right then, I believe it is time for us to say goodbye, at least for now. You shouldn't keep a lady waiting," said the old servant.

"Yeah… you take care of yourself, old man. And thanks for… well, you know."

"Yes, I know. But I would like to ask a favor in return, Yuri: Please make sure you live through all of this. I have served four generations of the Lowell line, and I would like to eventually pass away knowing that the house itself has outlived me, at least."

"Hey, don't worry! Nothing is going to stop me; With Repede, Flynn, our female super knight and this box filled with explo- I mean, 'useful utility spells' on my side, I'm going to hit these conspirators where it hurts," Yuri boasted, feeling far more confident than a few minutes ago. Even though he would never admit it, he was well aware of how easily his old servant managed to take his excess stress away whenever it was really needed.

*Woof*

"Indeed, young Master, though I would again like to ask you to avoid blowing up too many enemies. You might need to get some useful information out of them, sooner or later."

"Heh, didn't I already say that I was going to take real good care of… wait, one final thing, why do you even have things like these locked away in your room?"

"Ah, I am sorry master, but it would be irresponsible to tell you that I was saving them for a special occasion, such as blowing up the entire council. Instead, I'll just tell you that your grandfather and I caused quite a lot of mischief in our time."

As Yuri retreated from the room, he laughed.

* * *

The royal guard did his best to calm his nerves.

Normally, being assigned to stand guard in the abandoned part of royal guest quarters would have been an exceptionally boring assignment. From tales told to him by the older, more experienced guards, he had gathered that back in the 'good old days', these corridors had been constantly bursting with activity. However, now that the guilds were unified and relatively hostile to the empire, and now that there were only two houses that had a claim to the royal throne, the influx of visitors had dropped drastically.

Despite knowing how important protecting this particular guest was, he just couldn't bring himself to focus, and he inwardly chided himself for his ineptitude. The captain had picked him to be part of this last line of defense, and he had been convinced that he would be able to perform well, as he always did. That had been before he knew whom he would be working with; if he had known, he probably would have refused on behalf of the mission's success.

Yes, saving himself from this horribly awkward torment would have had absolutely nothing to do with it.

He involuntarily turned his head slightly to the side, stealing a glance at the source of his infinite distress. The woman stood five paces to his left; reasonably far away yet much too close for comfort. She was standing there stoically, perfectly still save for the minute movements of head as she tirelessly checked the environment for any threats. In other words, she was doing what he was also supposed to be doing, he realized in embarrassment. Regardless, even if he tried, he couldn't help himself… the way the blastia lamps illuminated her already beautiful face and her pink, ponytailed hair…

Displaying what he believed to be a heroic force of will, he tore his gaze away from her. His efficiency was currently zero; if any terrorist mage happened to sneak up on them, he wouldn't notice in time. He had to deal with the situation somehow, and fast. But how…?

Normally, he would have found some excuse to flee, but he couldn't exactly do that as he was on an assignment. Another option would be to try talking to her, but every time he did, it seemed to end in hopelessly jumbled conversation from his part. On the other hand, he couldn't keep ignoring her either. That might make her suspicious; guards that were on duty together talked, right? So he _would _have to talk, but about what? He couldn't tell her he liked her, that could… well… lead to her chopping his head off with her gigantic axe, if he didn't die of embarrassment first.

The guard nervously rubbed his spiky, silver colored hair. Damn it, he _had _to think of something before…

"Genis, are you well?" The female guard asked, her voice killing his coherent thoughts even more efficiently than his sister could kill others with her cooking.

"Wh-I-I, oh, P-Presea!" he sputtered. "O-of course I'm well! Wh-why would I be anything other than all right!?"

He really tried his best to sound convincing. _'Yeah, that came out very smooth, as usual…'_

The woman looked at him calmly as she always did, her face conspiring to prevent showing any emotion. "You have been giving off an average of 3.4 signals of intense nervousness per minute for the last 97 minutes, yet I am constantly unable to observe any significant threats in the immediate vicinity. Is there something I have missed? Could you specify what is causing you this much distress?"

Genis gulped, his panic rising even further. There had to be some reasonable excuse that covered for himself, but despite being one of the allegedly brightest minds in the royal blastia mages, his brain couldn't produce anything viable. He tried directing his eyes at anything but the girl talking to him.

'_Maybe I should just tell her…?' _An imaginary voice sounded.

'_N-No way!' _another voice immediately bit back. ´_What if she doesn't… and I can´t tell her here. I have to wait for a better time. I need to prepare something, write it down so I can read it if I close up again. Maybe cook something for her, too, I´m good at that. Anything but now would-'_

Wait.

_´Hmmm... maybe I __should__ tell her now, or ask her for a date, at least? There is no one around to see. No Lloyd laughing his head off if it doesn´t work, and no officer that could discharge me for breaching protocol like this. I could just deny it ever happened. But c-can I do it? So nervous…'_

"Genis?" the axe wielding guard tried again, her head hanging slightly to the side in confusion.

'…_No Lloyd laughing his head off…'_

Yeah… he was cornered, and he had to make his feelings known one way or the other, lest he wanted to like a complete moron. Slowly he shifted his gaze to meet hers, and as he did, his anxiety solidified. He felt calm yet extremely tense at the same time, strange as it were. He forced himself to say the words.

"Um…Pres-ea, would… I mean… do you maybe feel like-"

It was then that he felt the massive concentration of aer closing in on them rapidly. Immediately he spun around, all the while trying to erect a barrier despite being caught off-guard quite hopelessly. Sadly, he was far too late.

The next thing he knew, he was hit with the full force of the spell. Then there was darkness.

* * *

Yuri could only stare at the effects the glass sphere had inflicted. Although the release of aer had produced a spectacularly colorful sight, it hadn't made much of a sound at all. In addition, it had instantly taken out both guards before either of them even had a chance to respond. If this was what a non-lethal spell like sleep could do, what would happen if he used the 'explode' sphere?

He was suddenly very glad that the spheres were guaranteed not to go off in the enchanted case.

'_Wait… they wouldn't right? I'm carrying four of those things!"_

*Woof?* Repede brought out softly, walking out of cover besides him.

"No, we couldn't just ask them," Yuri quietly replied, shaking of his feeling of discomfort. "If it were up to me, I'd trust them. What do I really know, though? The corrupt guys with Ioder also didn't seem that bad, all the past chases aside."

His companion growled softly, looking down upon the unconscious guards.

"I don't like it either," the prince admitted. "However, the less our enemies are able to link her to us, the better. If they knew we escaped from the city together, they'd make it a priority to hunt her down even after we split up. There are no witnesses this way, meaning no potential leaks. Maybe they'll even think she just fled on her own; it's a rather logical thing to do when people in the vicinity are pushing for your immediate execution."

In truth, Yuri wasn't quite sure if this would help her at all. Any five-year-old could figure out that when two major threats disappeared from the _same building in the same night, _chances were that they were traveling together. He also doubted whether or not getting the order for her execution voided was going to be possible, even if she stayed completely out of this from now on. If the enemy was able to pass very dangerous laws unnoticed, they had to be equally well entrenched in the council. Regardless, given how much trouble the girl had gotten herself into for their sakes, he felt morally obliged to do what he could.

Well, that, and there was one other reason for doing things this way…

"Also, remember what the old man said? These things are highly unreliable in combat, so we had to try them out at least once, right? Not doing that would be irresponsible, and in the end, these guards are here to help us," said Yuri, his tone regaining a mischievous touch.

*****Snort*

Yuri grinned. He was slightly relieved; seeing Repede making an attempt at humor took away some of his worries over his recent mood. "Not sure what you're suggesting there, buddy. I'd always put the safety of my subjects over my desires to play around with dangerous objects."

*Woof*

"Hey, don't worry. I'll only make you skip breakfast for the next week or so."

*Growl…*

The prince nodded, serious once again. They had come here for a reason, not to joke around or try out new weapons. He quickly moved the guards into the room opposite to theirs, just in case of anyone patrolling. Seeing two unconscious guards in the middle of a corridor would probably cause a guy to raise the alarm. Apart from having to drag an oversized axe over the ground, it went pretty well.

In the end, he was left gazing upon the door. All he had to do now was to enter and convince Estelle to go with him, preferably without losing too much time. Yet, getting himself to actually open it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. For some reason, he kept hesitating.

' _One of my students broke in from the __Lower quarter__ to… It takes a lot of skill to get past all the guards. They attacked her on the way, and the council ordered her execution… Yeah, they really wanted her out of the way… trained to the best standards, the only one to survive the last war with the guilds… She looked like, well, they way Yuri did, last night… _

In his mind, a vision of an extremely brutal and bloodthirsty warrior appeared.

*Woof…?*

'…_Insists that you behave yourself properly and resist corrupting her student with…'_

"Hmmm…? Ah, yeah. Sorry, I just… remembered something."

He did his best to clear his mind, and knocked. Twice.

Nothing happened. Well, he supposed it made sense; she had had an exhausting day, and had only been given a few short hours to rest. He would probably have been sound asleep as well.

Yuri tried the handle, and was somewhat surprised to find the door unlocked. Lisa's charge apparently placed a lot of faith in the guards assigned to her. "Guess I'm going inside… Wait here, Repede. Stand guard at the end of the hallway and let me know if anyone approaches."

*Woof…*

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping I'll stay on her good side."

And he entered the room.

* * *

Garrote balled his fist. To those who knew him well, it was the about the clearest sign out outward frustration he ever gave off.

Overall, the infiltration hadn't gone badly; in fact, everything had gone to plan… mostly. Their 'friends' on guard duty had conveniently overlooked his group of armed assassins as they walked right past them. Inside, the informer had given an update on the situation.

It appeared as though the royal guard had been on very high alert lately. The man had speculated that news of Ioder's abduction might have leaked out prematurely. It was a reasonable assumption, though it implied that someone had hopelessly compromised his mission… one of their trustworthy allies, no doubt. He had the impression that the informer _knew_ who of them had spilled the beans, but was being intentionally vague to cover up their incompetence. It made him even less willing to consider the outrageous 'special request'.

Nevertheless, the advance warning had been valuable. To compensate for the increased patrols, he had split up the group further, into teams of two, making it much easier for them to hide from prying eyes. Everyone had studied the castle layout extensively, and everyone knew how to reach the quarters of house Lowell. Consequently, everyone had managed to regroup at the target destination.

Unfortunately, it had meant the number of forced assassinations had grown as high as twelve, which borderline unacceptable. Every corpse that had to be hidden increased their chance of imminent detection. He sort of expected it to happen at any moment, but detection was something he knew how to handle. No, that wasn't what was truly worrisome.

Prince Yuri was missing, and the dead head servant in his arms hadn't exactly given him any useful information, despite the torture and poison that he had applied. The old man's face carried a look that spoke of an iron will to die rather than revealing anything. After a few minutes, Garrote had deemed it futile and had cut his throat.

Now that the plan had failed, the question was simple. What were they to do now?

"Do you have any orders, Garrote?" Mutilate asked calmly, placing her hand on his shoulder. The gesture didn't give him much comfort, if anything it made him more displeased with himself. He couldn't appear weak or in need of any support before his men, especially in the middle of a mission. He didn't pull away immediately though, as he was too busy forming an improvised plan. From all angles, it looked like they would have to abandon subtlety. Their time was running low.

Slowly he stood up, ignoring the pain still caused by Zagi's attacks. He didn't like the order he was about to give, but he saw no other way around it. Fate had forced his hand.

"The other servants…" he said, "they are still being held in their quarters."

It wasn't really a question, yet he received a number of affirmations.

"Gather a few of those groups in one room, then execute them one by one until someone talks. They tend to know more than nobles suspect," Garrote continued. "Start with the women; men are more likely to talk. These servants live here… at least some of them will be sleeping together. Also, start with the younger ones. The old have less to lose and are likely to be more loyal. Hopefully the young will talk faster if they see one of their own die first."

He locked eyes with Mutilate. "I'm charging you with overseeing this task."

The female Red Eye only nodded, giving off no hints of potential surprise or revulsion.

"Make it expressive. No clean or fast kill. Be sure the target cannot scream to attract unwanted attention. We need that information, so instill as much fear as you can. Check the answers for validity with poison. As soon as you have a credible lead, cancel the interrogation. If you do not have anything after four executions, assume they do not know anything."

"Understood," said Mutilate, and she turned to leave. A number of Red Eyes followed her out.

"Sigh… take it easy on the hunnies, would you?" someone murmured to his right.

The main Red Eye turned to address the speaker. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see the informer. "I'm going to ask why the target wasn't kept under stricter observation. I do want to know if you have any thoughts on where he could have gone."

"Hard to say, sir Garrote," answered the man, shrugging. "He is known to have a certain weakness towards wandering in the middle of the night. We believe he frequently visits a certain sergeant at questionable hours, presumably for some sort of training. However, we made sure to remove him. Just yesterday, there was a suspicious break-in to the archives which Yuri might have been involved in. It could also be that he's trying to escape the castle again, in which case he could be anywhere, even the…"

To Garrote, the man's overly casual tone was highly irritating. He was quite positive that the man was deliberately unhelpful, perhaps out of spite for not going accepting his request. The man also didn't appear to be that professional in general, as his attire was roughly that of a cross dressing ballet dancer.

He bridged the distance between them with the speed that came naturally with his profession. "I'll rephrase that. Do you have any _usefu__l_ thoughts on the subject?" he asked, grabbing the man by the collar none-too-gently.

"Hmmm? Now now, there's no need for unpleasantries," the redhead calmly replied, not at all alarmed by being the subject of a rather annoyed assassin's anger. "Well, I do have a theory. About our request…"

"I'll tell you one final time," Garrote sneered, interrupting him. "We are here to assassinate Yuri Lowell. I'm not taking additional targets _during _another mission, _especially_ one that's under heavy guard. If your superiors expect me to compromise the mission even further to deal with some insignificant girl they were unable to handle themselves, I'm afraid we'll have to seriously doubt their judgment, capabilities and overall value to our alliance."

"Oh, I'd appreciate it if you let me finish my words, at least. I expected a little better from the esteemed assassin's self-control," the informer whined, somehow managing to sound bored. Garrote decided to slightly ease his hold on him. He could always arrange for an accident _after_ hearing what he had to say. By now, he was convinced that if their allies wanted their informer to live, they would have sent one that was less annoying and without an apparent death wish.

"So I was saying, I think there is a good chance he might have decided to meet with this 'insignificant' girl. It doesn't happen too often that someone from the lower quarter manages to infiltrate the castle on her own. Given his… interests, chances are good," the soldier finished.

Garrote mused over the words. On one hand, it didn't sound too far-fetched. On the other it could just be a convenient coincidence used to get him to go after the Heurassein woman against his better judgment. Was it worth the risk to both his men and the mission?

'_I suppose the master would want me to investigate…' _

Somewhere to his right, a chorus of gasps and panicked murmurs emanated, before promptly ending. It seemed Mutilate had begun interrogating.

"Slice, Rupture, Vice," he called to them, "you know where the royal guest quarters are located, correct?"

"Yes, boss!", came the unanimous response.

"You know what to do, then," he finished.

"I'm glad you saw reason," the informer said upon their departure, obviously pleased.

From nearby, another wave of rumor rose up. He looked away, his gaze falling on the body of the old man. Was he wrong in his assumption? Did the servants know anything? If they didn't…

There was a difference between hunting down a target and slaughtering innocents. He didn't like being forced across that line.

* * *

The room was dimly lit. As far as Yuri could tell, the only light came from a small candle situated on a desk. Despite the poor visibility, the wealth contained in this room was obvious. From the carpet to the paintings in the hall, everything was expensive and more than suited for guests of importance.

From where he was standing, it was possible to see the ends of the bed extending around the corner. As he walked closer, he noticed a form underneath the blankets that had to be Estelle. Slowly he made his way closer, more and more of the bed coming into view. Perhaps it was the two sets of equipment wearing him down, but he seemed slow even to his own standards.

As he finally rounded the corner, he caught a glimpse of movement to his side. Instinct took over and he threw himself forward. He heard and felt something cut into one of the bags on his back, meaning he had barely avoided being skewered.

'_An assassin!? Am I too late? But how- Estelle-'_

Survival instincts kicked in, and he tried rolling to put more distance between himself and his attacker…

…Until he remembered that with all the gear he was carrying, that probably wouldn't work too well. As a result, he landed painfully on his side, frantically scrambling to get up and draw his sword, his back still turned to the enemy. Figuring that he had less than a second, he threw up his sword over his shoulder, protecting his back with a very awkward overhead block, and simultaneously tried to turn.

He knew full well that this was a very bad position to be in, and while he was somehow able to deflect the first incoming blow, his attacker was too skilled to let an opening this large go to waste. His blocking arm was grabbed and the assassin pulled hard, causing him to hopelessly lose balance. A fraction of a second later, a sword wielding arm came into view, which roughly slammed his upper body against the wall. As a result, his head encountered the wall so hard that his vision to blurred, and he felt the grip on his blade slacking. It was pulled out of his hand a moment later. In panic, he tried to grab the attackers' arm that held the sword, but again he was too slow.

Hard steel was pressed up to his neck, and he knew that if this person wanted him to die, there was absolutely nothing that could save him.

'_Wait… why am I still alive?'_

Yuri tried to focus, and as his vision gradually cleared, he finally got a good look at who had just completely destroyed him in combat. A young woman dressed in a beautiful, greenish dress stood less than a foot away, and firmly kept him pressed against the wall. With her bright pink hair and large emerald eyes, she wasn't even remotely what he had expected to see. He was aware that she said something, but whether it was the remnants of his daze or his surprise, he completely missed the words.

What was clear, however, was the look of absolute hatred he was receiving. With the blade on his neck, that didn't bode very well for him. Trying to buy time, he blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

"Hey there, I'm Yuri Lowell. Nice… *gah*… to meet you."

It didn't seem to have the effect he was hoping for, as the woman's scowl only deepened. "Do… you…Idiot!? I'll ask… time: who send you here? Was it the council? Cumore? An ordinary death sentence wasn't good enough for them, was it!?"

The prince blinked. Wait a minute. Was this… no, _of course_ it was Estelle. But then, the form in the bed…

_Pillows. _

He would have laughed at his own incompetence, if it were less likely to get him killed. "Look, I think there's a big misunderstanding here. You're Estelle Heurassein, right?" he asked, hoping to defuse the situation.

"A misunderstanding??" she repeated, the disbelief in her voice almost palpable, "Please explain this to me, then. A shady, extremely well equipped stranger breaks into my room at the middle of the night. He's clearly not a normal soldier, and definitely not a royal guard. Oh, and then there is a minor thing of using extremely powerful magic to _kill_ the guards outside."

For a moment, Yuri wondered how she knew that. The answer was extremely obvious. Since she was one of Lisa's best students, there was no way she wouldn't be able to use or sense spells. How could he have missed that? Had he really been _that _giddy to try to those spheres?

"Hold on- I didn't kill them," Yuri pointed out in defense.

"Ah," Estelle said in turn. "So it _was_ you else casting the spell."

Wait, was that the second time he had been tricked, in _less_ than two minutes? The prince couldn't exactly remember the last time someone had turned the tables on him _this_ badly. He was going to have to watch his words very carefully…

"Anyway, you still used violence to get them out of the way, right, 'Yuri Lowell?" the swordswoman continued. "So if this was a misunderstanding…"

"I can explain everything," the prince promised. "Just-"

Alarm bells ringed in the distance. The faint echoes of screams resounded through the otherwise silent night. Even though it was too far away to be heard, the message was clear. The castle was under attack; Intruders might already be inside.

Oh hell, this had to be the worst possible moment for something like that to happen. "I did it to help you. I'm Yuri Lowell and I can prove it. _Please_ just give me a chance to explain," Yuri immediately pleaded, hoping to cut the woman off of drawing any hasty conclusions.

'_Who am I kidding, really? What would I have done in her place? This looks very, very bad…'_

Somewhere in the back of his head, Lisa's voice chided him. _'I couldn't have blamed anyone for shooting you on sight!' _

* * *

Garrote's attention was drawn by a sudden commotion. Faint screams were audible to the west of them. The ringing of numerous bells followed it; the alarm had been raised. They would have no choice but to withdraw, since there was no way this small band of men wouldn't be overwhelmed if they hung around. However, if they left now, the mission would be a complete failure…

"That's strange… We were never near that part of the castle," the informer pondered, still strangely uncaring.

"Zagi," Garrote said aloud, doing his best to fight of the headache that came with the thought. Somehow he was absolutely sure of it. He quickly glanced over the remaining two subordinates in the room, both of whom shifted about uneasily.

_My subordinates…_

"Cut, tell Mutilate to cancel the interrogation," he ordered, already on his way out of the room. "The mission has been fatally compromised, and we're leaving."

"Um, sure boss," said the younger assassin, falling into stride with him. "But then… where are _you_ going, sir?"

There was no time to berate him for questioning his orders. "I'm going to the royal guest quarters, to see if the group I send there needs help escaping. Take the shortest way out, _away_ from the commotion. Zagi can die for all I care. This would be the second time he threatened the mission. Now go; guards will be swarming in here shortly. Prince Yuri is _supposed _to be _here_," he finished, well aware of the irony.

* * *

Estelle was highly nervous. While she had been able to avert what she perceived as the fourth attempt on her life in just two days, there was a twinge of panic that wouldn't let her go. For a little while, she had been absolutely sure that she was safe, at least for the moment. That illusion had just been violently shattered. With the council having passed an order for her execution, and with even the elite Royal Guards unable to protect her, the future looked very bleak.

She was also in doubt.

Logic told her that the man in front of her was lying, stalling for time. The alarm had been raised; if this intruder didn't work alone, and there were others with him, some would come to check on him eventually. Nothing pointed to him having any sort of noble intentions, other than perhaps knocking before entering. However, it was more likely that was just some ploy to draw her out of the room, and she wasn't nearly stupid enough to answer the door after having sensed the guards being taken out by a massive release of aer.

By all means, she should have finished him, gone outside to help the guards, and then finally sought out her instructor or just have taken her chances in escaping on her own. She wasn't even entirely sure why she hadn't done so already. The man's claim of being prince Yuri Lowell was absolutely ludicrous; he looked more like a mercenary than anything else, and why would a prince ever attack his own trusted guards? Why would someone like that ever come to see _her_ specifically, _in person_? Her instructor had all the information she could have given.

But…What if he was…?

No. There was no time. Her grip on her sword tightened. She had to get out of here. Besides, this other time she had shown mercy, the aqua blastia had gotten stolen from the lower quarter. Showing mercy to the band of corrupt knights hadn't done anything for her, either. She was tired of making the same mistake-

'…_guess you could say that, Estelle. It's probably more accurate to say I'm in charge of making sure the royal line doesn't go into extinction. With only Ioder and Yuri left, and with the latter trying all sorts of crazy and unfitting things that are no doubt going to get him killed one day, it's not exactly easy to…'_

'…_Crazy and unfitting things that would no doubt get him killed...'_

Inwardly she laughed a bitter, humorless laugh. It had to be a coincidence. Still, on the off chance she was wrong, she decided to give him a chance. Her grip relaxed slightly.

"All right, prove it, then." As she spoke the words, she heard an endless tirade on being too naïve and trusting from numerous wiser persons she knew. She agreed with all of them.

The man immediately nodded. "There's a ring in my pocket. It's the seal ring of house Lowell, it carries the symbol that's on some types of gear in the military. You used to be a knight, right? You should recognize it."

The medic took a tentative step to the side, preparing herself just in case this was a trick.

'…_Of course it's a trick, child!' _

"Take it out, slowly," she commanded. Her body tensed. The second she sensed anything at all, be it the slightest amount of aer or the smallest odd sound…

He did as she asked; one hand slowly took hold of an item in his pocket, and he revealed what was indeed a ring. She instantly grabbed it, spurred on by nerves. She wanted him to prove himself wrong and for her to get out of here quickly. Yet, even in the weak light, it was impossible to miss how extremely expensive the thing had to be. Gold and velvet formed a strange and beautiful contrast, and the characteristic wolf of house Lowell wasn't to be taken for anything else.

'_I wonder how much of the lower someone could buy with just this tiny objects value in gald. If this is real…'_

Wait.

"How do I know you didn't steal it, or if this is a forgery?" Estelle asked suspiciously.

The man opened his mouth, and then he hesitated. "You don't," he admitted, "but I hope you're more willing to listen to me now. By the way, don't you think it would be insanely hard to actually steal that ring?"

'_So calm… Stalling for time? Waiting for friends to show up?' _

"If you can break in here without the guards catching you, you can probably steal it," the swordswoman pointed out. "This isn't good enough by itself."

"…Point taken," the man said after a moment. "Ok, maybe this will do. I know that my current captain of the guard trained you. You were of her best students ever, and according to her the only one that actually survived the last war with the guilds. Tonight, she was two hours late to a meeting because some council members were demanding your death. I also know you want to go to Aspio, but I'm afraid I forgot to ask her why. And um… I don't know if she mentioned anything about me, but if so, it was probably something relating to me being reckless."

For a moment, she thought she detected genuine embarrassment.

Estelle blinked. What he said wasn't exactly hard evidence, but she was completely sure she hadn't told anyone other than her instructor where she wanted to go. Then again, there was this possibility that he was trying to play to her pride, and that their conversation had been overheard despite the activated blastia…

'_Alarm went off… other intruders near. Running out of time,' _her survival instinct told her.

'_Can't knock him out and leave. If it is him, what if an intruder finds him? I need to check. Somehow I need to check. But how…?'_

A voice from the past provided the answer. _'My cousin believes I am a naïve fool..'_

"What do you think of your cousin?" she asked him, locking eyes with the intruder.

"I-Ioder? What kind of…" he sputtered, clearly not having expected anything like this.

"_Answer the question_," she pressed, her suspicion growing back to its previously high levels. "Be honest: I'll know if you're lying!"

* * *

Yuri was puzzled. Out of all questions she could have asked him, this one was quite low on his probability list. And she'd know if he said the wrong thing? How could she know that? Did Ioder personally tell her how he believed he viewed him? No… there had to be a more likely explanation. Ok… that aside, how _did _he feel about his cousin?

With the blade on his neck, he didn't exactly have the luxury of time. "Ioder… he's noble, a far better student than me, and will probably a far better ruler, too. But he's extremely naïve, and some of his views just aren't in touch with reality. I think that if his advisors told him it was a good idea to wander some far off land with nothing but a senile old man to accompany him, he would probably do it."

It wasn't perfect, but it was the best he could muster.

' _Time to face judgment…'_

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" he asked, studying her face for a reaction. Moments went by slowly, and while it was hopelessly inappropriate, he realized that it her features were actually quite striking. It could also have been a proverbial final moment of clarity before the end, in which everything seemed more special and vibrant. Maybe he would check again later… if he survived.

* * *

_**Author's notes:**_

I'm not entirely pleased with the way the chapter came out, as I originally intended for Yuri and Estelle to make it out of Zaphias by the end of this. I couldn't pull it off, as the scenes turned out a lot longer than I had planned them to be. On the other hand, I don't feel as if I could have cut down a lot without hindering the credibility of some actions/scenes. Also, I didn't want to wait much longer in updating.

On a positive note, the next chapter will be nearly all action, and I think Yuri and Estelle had a nice bit of interaction to start off with.

Scene commentary:

1: Zagi: Dark. He's psychotic, so I did my best to emulate it. I hope that it was successful to a degree.

2: Yuri/Preston: I wanted to give Yuri and Preston a farewell scene before Yuri dashes off into danger, and before Preston ends up as described in Garrote's scene. The spheres do actually serve a purpose for later on; it's not just me propagating how awesome my OC's are, or anything.

3: Genis/Presea: By this time, I had to write something lighthearted, and these two seemed to fit right in. I guess the humor is a bit lost on those who never played Tales of Symphonia, but well, I guess it's less random than suddenly fighting Kratos Aurion in the actual game. Fun fact: I can sympathize with Genis when it comes to confessing feelings to girls. I guess it can be viewed as funny, but even though I'm not nearly as bad as Genis, it's a tad annoying in actual practice. I'm actually a good cook, too, when I try.

(4: Estelle: Originally there was a very small scene here with Estelle waking up. I decided to remove it for better flow and to make the encounter slightly more surprising. Basically, Estelle sleeps very lightly due to growing up in a dangerous environment. She instantly wakes up following the aer explosion/sound by the guards falling, is confused for a moment, then senses the remnants of aer and figures the guards to be attacked. I suppose leaving the scene in might have made it easier to symphatize with Estelle in the final scene, at Yuri's expense. Was it the right choice? I really don't know... what do you think?)

5: Garrote: Was a bit hard to write. There are so many things to take into account when infiltrating a castle. Oh yeah, and the anonymous informer having a death wish… yeah, that's for those of you who saw Zelos' 'bad ending' in ToS

6: Estelle/Yuri: I'm generally happy with the way it played out, so far. Estelle is under a large amount of stress and, imho, has more than enough reason to be highly suspicious and slightly panicked. Yuri might have played that one better, but in real life, you're often not aware of your mistakes until long after they stopped mattering. You also don't have the time to make up the perfect lines for everything.

Logically, I guess you could make a case for Estelle appearing in her undergarments, since she is awakened quite rudely and sort of expects to be attacked any moment (what would you do: dress up or draw your weapon/get ready?). That might have come across as a little perverted, though (not to mention being far too easy/cheap/cliché in Yuri becoming attracted to her), so I figured she slept in her dress just in the off case that she has to flee immediately.

p.s. Don't you love the atmosphere? Classic candlelight encounter involving flashy, pretty clothes, an expensive ring being passed to the girl, a misunderstanding, a fight, the guy trying to talk his way out of it, the girl totally beating him up... :)

Oh yes, please review to tell me what you thought about the chapter, and to support the story! Hearing what others think is half the fun of the actual writing to me, and is what keeps me motivated to continue.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Brief introduction:**_

Thanks for the reviews and the other signs of support, everyone! I've been very busy lately, this time thankfully because things are going very well for a change. While there was virtually no time to write, I did try to get these chapters out as fast as possible. Yes, there will be a second one _really _shortly, which has absolutely nothing to do with the story's first birthday, or reaching the 100th review. Nope, nothing at all.

To alleviate some concerns regarding the previous chapter: I do not intend to make this a ToS/ToV crossover. I put in the cameo for entertainment purposes, and since I didn't want to include more generic NPC's or OC's. I might include another cameo in the future if it happens to fit, but the ToS characters will not be a significant part of the main story.

_**Chapter Eight**_: **Persuasion.**

As Estelle processed the answer, she felt increasingly unable to repress an ever-growing surge of panic.

What he had just said… it had to fit, right? An impostor would have stuck with an idolized image instead, wouldn't he? And he did have some unusual knowledge about her that had to have been confided to him, along with possessing a ring that no sane person in the lower quarter would ever reveal to anyone but their closest relatives, if anyone there even possessed such a thing.

So, if it was really him, it meant that she had just come _this _close to _killing_ an heir to the imperial throne, be it accidental or not. There was no doubt in her mind that this would have lead to her immediate death regardless of what she said in her defense. Actually, even with a non-lethal outcome, it could still lead to that. All it took was a few words from the prince to any given guard.

She felt the blood drain from her face.

Quickly releasing her hold on him, she took a few unsteady steps backwards before trying to formulate an adequate verbal response. "I… But why… You- the guards-" she tried, but between shock, surprise and general nervousness, her initial efforts were in vain. However, while Prince Yuri straightened himself up, she felt an urge to at least apologize appropriately before he spoke.

"I'm sorry for-" well, what? Attacking you? Nearly killing you? Wasn't there some more dignified excuse? "-pointing my sword at you, your Highness." To add to the gesture, she bowed slightly. She was aware that she was lowering her guard, but even in the slightly unlikely event that she had been successfully bluffed, he was still unarmed.

'_From this distance, one Demon Fang could easily…no; I need to stop thinking like that. I'm letting the events of the last days influence me too much…'_

'_But remember the sleazy types from the lower quarter,' an older and wiser voice told her. 'He could still be a very good liar. Listen to and observe him for any irregularities.''_

Before she could ponder further, a gut-wrenching scream pierced the night. With a start, she realized that a large battle had to be taking place. Who were attacking the castle?

What if this man really was the prince and they were after him?

* * *

Yuri, in turn, didn't know what to say, which had lead to an awkward silence. He was well-aware of how badly he had screwed up. Overconfidence had made him lose perspective and in turn he had almost gotten himself killed before even making it out of the castle. Apart from suddenly doubting his claim of being able to reach Flynn safely on his own, he had seriously damaged his chances of convincing her to join him. While she seemed to believe him, he knew that there had to be lingering doubts. Judging from what he had seen, he was definitely going to need her help.

'_Which brings the question: After making it look like you were out to kill someone, what do you say to make that person trust you enough to accept an extremely dangerous job, such as protecting you against assassins, traitorous knights, and so on? All this noise in the background isn't making it easy to think. Well… let's see, what was she saying again? Oh yeah, she was apologizing nervously. Maybe a bit of humor would be a good way to start.'_

"Oh, you shouldn't worry, really. You're only the third person to do that in these last two days. I've sort of gotten used to it," he said, faking a grin.

"Really? I'm relieved to hear that. I thought you were going to-…" Estelle said, then suddenly paused and looked up at him strangely. "I'm sorry? You are used to people-"

Yuri sighed. "I was only kidding," he lied, deciding to leave his midnight encounters with Flynn and the old pervert out of the story. "And please stand up straight… I hate it when people do that. It's not like I'm some sort of god demanding to be worshipped."

"Ah… right. Pardon me, your Highness," she replied. Her tone was more reserved, and Yuri had the nagging idea that he was making a mistake somewhere. Still he decided to continue. Other than asking her what was wrong, he didn't really have a choice. "I'm also not exceptionally tall, so you can leave the 'Your highness' part out as well. Just 'Yuri' will do. Now-"

"I'm sorry, but there is something I have to ask you before you continue," the pink haired cut in cautiously. "You don't sound like a prince at all. To be honest, your speech reminds me more of someone from the lower quarter… not to mention the way you dress. Why is that?"

Yuri froze. While it had become a second nature to him to speak like the common folk, it was something that someone unfamiliar with him would immediately find suspicious. What he said now was going to be critical… far too critical for the few moments of time he had to think.

"Let me ask you something first: Did you ever meet my cousin?" he finally asked, foregoing a straight answer.

Estelle shifted uneasily, but finally nodded.

'_That would explain that question earlier.'_

"Okay, let's say that he's the archetypical noble ruler while I'm more of a rebel. I personally like to annoy my tutors by using common speech. It's a way to get back at them for forcing me to sit on a chair for hours upon end while they tortured- I mean taught me how to pronounce every syllable the way only important nobles do," Yuri explained. His dislike was obvious and genuine. "I'm sure that if Ioder hadn't been so inhumanly patient, old Benedict and Pimpleton would have been fired a long time ago, but I guess that's Ioder for you," he finished with a wistful sigh.

He paused as he heard her chuckle. It was a nervous and very short chuckle, but a chuckle nonetheless, and it evoked an enormous sense of relief in him. The prince immediately pressed the advantage. "Perhaps you would like to know more about them? I have quite extensive knowledge concerning the important houses and their servants, including some highly peculiar and embarrassing secrets, or covered-up scandals if you will. And let us be honest, you really do not want me to talk to you in this manner all the time, am I correct?"

Estelle, feeling more assured of the man's claim, partly due to the humour present in Yuri's ridiculously pompous tone, averted her eyes in embarrassment. "Haha… no, that's all right. Please excuse me… I'm afraid I've become a bit paranoid lately. And please don't talk in a manner you don't want to, your High- Yuri," she corrected herself. "I just had to be sure."

"Maybe you should stop apologizing so much," the prince suggested. "You acted naturally; I probably would have done the same thing in your position. I 'd have liked some of the people around me to have been a bit more 'paranoid' like you. It could have saved me a lot of trouble."

In what he knew to be a gesture of trust, the swordswoman put away her sword. "Thank you, but please, Yuri, I don't want to be rude, but I need to know why you're here. I'm honoured by your presence, but if you're here to thank me or offer me some sort of reward, it's really not necessary. It sounds as if the castle is under attack and I'm afraid the council might send someone to have me dealt with in the confusion. I want to leave this place quickly, either to join the Captain in her fight, or to flee, if that is possible. Either option feels safer than to wait here," she proclaimed.

'_She's right. We are losing a lot of time. Maybe we should go to another-' he realized._

The thought hadn't finished forming when a harsh growl sounded to his right.

*WOOF! WOOF!*

From the corner of his eye, he saw Estelle reaching for her weapon. "Wait!" he shouted, "He's with me!"

"He is? Why do you need such a ferocious dog, Yuri? And why is he carrying a knife in his mouth?" Estelle asked, bracing herself for any sudden attack. Repede, in turn, didn't pay her any attention.

***WOOF!* **Yuri's companion tried again.

"Wait, slow down. What do you mean, 'you smell poison drawing near'?" the prince inquired in confusion. He didn't really need an answer however, as it was clear just a second later. Poison…what kind of people used poisoned weapons?

"Assassins," Yuri and Estelle spoke simultaneously. They exchanged a worried glance, after which they both nodded. In that moment, they reached an unspoken consensus that further discussion would be saved for later. Estelle was the first to spring into motion. "We need to go," she said, quickly picking up Yuri's discarded sword. "Are you good at fighting?" she asked then, holding it out towards him.

Normally he would have found the situation ironic, perhaps even amusing. A young woman dressed in a beautiful, highly expensive dress was asking him, a heavily armed and armoured man, if he knew how to fight. Yet emerald eyes bored into his, and they spoke of an unmistakable hardiness and determination that belied her outward appearance. Even without her earlier victory over him, it was clear which of them the real fighter was. He also knew that this was no moment for false pride; his real strengths lay in stealth and persuasion.

"I'm decent," he answered, taking his sword. "I should have enough training to hold my own against most opponents, especially if Repede…"

He paused, as Estelle had narrowed her eyes and was mumbling something. The subtle glow of aer gave away that she was casting a spell. "…Barrier," she finished. There was a flash of transparent grey, and he knew the familiar protective effect to be in place. It had been used on him plenty of times during public occasions.

"So you've never fought in a real battle before?" Estelle asked, indicating that she had been able to hear him while casting the spell, which was supposedly an impressive feat of concentration.

'_Does our first meeting count for that?' _a small and sarcastic voice sounded in his mind.

"I had my… teacher come at me as if he were willing to kill me. So in a way, yes," Yuri pointed out, following the swiftly moving Estelle to the door. "I've gotten injured during those fights plenty of times. There were days that I'd look like the way you did last night, or so I've been told," he finished.

Estelle blinked. "I see," she whispered after a pause, then proceeded to glance around the corner. "I can't spot them yet, but…"

*Growl*

"If Repede smells them, they're there. Besides, these guys are assassins and all, so they're probably good at hiding," said Yuri, defending his companion.

"I didn't mean to… Wait…" Estelle looked at him as if he had suddenly grown a second head. "Like before… Were you just *talking* to your dog?"

"Is this really the time for this?" Yuri whispered back in exasperation. "We have *assassins* around the corner, remember?"

*Woof*

The green-dressed swordswoman glanced at Repede for a moment, then relented. "Ri-right… can you… um… ask him from which way they are coming?"

*Snort* *Woof*

Yuri mentally sighed. That was not what he had wanted to hear. "Both, he says. Meaning there are at least two and that they have enough insight to cut off our escape route beforehand."

Contrary to what he had expected, Estelle took the news completely stoic, as if she had never expected anything else. _'Strange… just a few minutes ago, she was very close to panicking. Now we're faced with multiple real assassins and she's calm…'_

"Can you think of any less obvious ways to escape?" Estelle's voice came, barely audible.

Yuri quickly snapped himself out of his reverie. "Not unless you want to try scaling the castle walls, but that's a very hard climb," The prince answered, equally soft. "The rocks aren't rough enough, and the edges not that deep. If an inexperienced person tries it from this height… well… To be honest, I'm not sure I could manage it all the way down either. Also, I would never leave Repede up here by himself. Dogs typically aren't that good at climbing."

He realized that he might have given too much information, and that a short explanation might have been in order. "I don't like living here at the castle," he simply added.

"So… we're forced to fight, then," Estelle thought aloud, pondering the situation too much to notice. "Take the side with the fewest enemies," she said. "I can try distracting a few of them. If you ever see a chance to run, please do so, your Highness: I don't want to risk your safety more than necessary."

While Yuri knew that there wasn't time to argue, he couldn't let that slide. "Sorry, but even if I could, there's no way I'd leave you behind to fend for yourself. I may not be entirely like my cousin, but I'm definitely not some heartless coward."

"But… wouldn't there be far-reaching consequences if anything happened to you?" Estelle asked, clearly surprised. "As one of the two remaining princes, you're really willing to risk your life to help me, a commoner, fight?"

"I don't believe in class differences and I also don't believe in sacrificing others, especially when I go through a lot of trouble to ask their help," he explained, quickly glancing into the hallway. Either the assassins weren't there yet, or they were waiting in ambush. Regardless, staying here wouldn't get them anywhere. "We should be going."

Estelle hesitantly nodded and took the lead, yet right before she exited the room, she turned around once more. "Yuri, I trust you," she said, emerald eyes boring into his. The earnestness behind the words, their message and their unexpectedness caught him off-guard, and he was at an uncharacteristic loss for words. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he was spared thinking up a response as she finally stepped out into the corridor.

*Woof?*

The voice of his companion pulled him out of his momentary stupor. "Well, that was a far cry from trying to kill me…"

*…Woof!*

"Never mind. Let's go."

* * *

At first, Yuri didn't see much. The shaded hallway that had helped him so well in sneaking up to the royal guards seemed much less friendly now that it was hiding multiple lethal foes. Beside him Repede growled incessantly. If it hadn't been for him, the prince doubted he would have known that something was wrong. Battle was imminent and he didn't feel quite as secure as he had expected himself to be. Sure, he had fought Flynn plenty of times, but in the end, his friend would always help him back up when he failed.

This time, there would be no rematch. One mistake and it would be over.

Slightly behind him, Estelle was peering into the opposite direction, sword and buckler at the ready. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw that she had taken a defensive stance, one that minimized the surface area of her body exposed to incoming attacks. From that, he figured that most experienced opponents wouldn't be fooled by her outward appearance.

For a while nothing happened, until Yuri decided to break the façade. "You might as well come out into the open," he called out. "We know you're there, and we aren't moving from here. Are you going to wait until the guards show up?"

Another couple of seconds passed, and then, finally, a dark-clad figure stepped out into the light. While his overall outfit wasn't very remarkable, there were two rather strange features that seemed to demand attention: a mask that obscured nearly his entire face, and an odd device that allowed a blades to protrude along his lower arms. Since both of these were currently extended, Yuri focused on these rather than the eerie reflection of light from the red glass covering the assassin's eyes. He involuntarily strengthened the grip he had on his sword.

"_Two_," Estelle whispered from behind him, and it took him a moment to realize that she must have been referring to the number of enemies on her side.

"_One_," Yuri responded, never taking his eyes off of the approaching figure.

"So he _is_ here," a gruff voice came from behind him. "Seems like the fool was right in the end."

"Look at him; tense as a spring. Obviously a rookie," the assailant on Yuri's side said in contempt. "Is this really all there was to it? I had expected more of a challenge."

"Don't ever underestimate a target, and remember the boss' words. We're not here to do things in a flashy way," another assassin said in reply. "Now Miss, it's obvious who we are and what we're here to do," the same guy continued, addressing Estelle. "Someone wants us to deal with you as well, but the boss isn't inclined to listen to him, so I'll give you the option to walk away unharmed."

"Oh, come on already, Slice! You are _way_ too soft," the snide assassin said in exasperation. "Did you forget about the grand idea here? What if they-"

Yuri took the liberty of slowly and stealthily going for his bundle with his free hand.

"I'll never trust an assassin, nor will I ever hand someone over to mercy of one!" Estelle cut in fiercely, and for shortest moment, the prince felt touched by her apparent loyalty. He immediately put it out of his mind and softly jabbed her back with his elbow. _"I'm going to throw something at one of those two. Get ready to act on it," _he muttered.

"_Right, but be careful not to drop your guard," _Estelle whispered back.

"See, I told you so! Letting her go is far too much of a gamble," claimed the snide Red Eye.

"Be quiet, Vice," the gruff-sounding assassin commanded. "Unnecessary casualties happen far too often when you're involved. As for you, I'm sorry to hear -"

Figuring that the fight was imminent, Yuri spun around, took a fraction of a second to aim and threw a heavy stone straight at the speaker. Being an experienced assassin, he managed to dodge, but that wasn't the point. The point was that a person couldn't dodge in mid-air.

"Demon Fang!" Estelle shouted, sending a shockwave where she expected him to land. From the cry of pain, Yuri supposed she must have hit. His own attention was fixated on the snide assassin, who had immediately charged at him until Repede stepped into his path. While Vice had tried to stab Repede, the dog had proven too quick and had dodged to the side. Yuri could almost see him doubting on whether to go for him or to deal with Repede first.

"Pfeh, look at you…" the assassin taunted. "Hiding behind a woman and a mutt. What kind of a man are you?"

"I guess that makes you even less of a man, as you're obviously worried about having to go through them," Yuri retorted, hoping to anger him enough to make some reckless move. 'Vice' seemed like a guy it might have worked on.

Rather than answering, the assassin grabbed something from his cloak with a snarl. A throwing knife? No time to check. A shockwave of his own went straight for the man, preventing immediate danger, but in doing so the prince lost sight of him momentarily. A flicker of shadows to his right caught his attention, and he braced himself for an incoming attack; the man was _very _fast. What he didn't expect was seeing the man suddenly stumble and yell out in pain. Repede came into view, holding a bloodied knife in his mouth. This time, his companion wasn't quick enough to avoid a retaliatory kick to the snout.

*Yelp!*

"You damned mutt!" Vice snarled, advancing further on the dog with a slight limp. Figuring this to be an opening, Yuri charged in on own and delivered a slashing attack directed at the man's neck. Despite his leg injury, the assassin surprised him by quickly jumping out of the way. Not only that, but he actually managed to throw a knife at him as he did, which would have hit him squarely in the chest if it hadn't bounced off of the barrier spell Estelle had cast on him earlier.

'_Damn! Better keep my distance and stick to the plan.'_

"Azure edge!" he yelled, sending a concentration of aer after the Red Eye. The attack was performed too quickly and from too close to be completely dodged, and drew blood from the man's side. Vice quickly pulled himself back together, snarling in rage, and was about to move in on Yuri when Repede came in for a second quick attack. This time the assassin actually fell to one knee, and blindly swung a blade around for the dog, who nimbly dodged again. It was when he didn't get back up right away that Yuri knew it was time to finish him.

'_Nothing fancy,' _the prince thought as he mercilessly fired azure edge after azure edge at the semi-immobile assassin, staying well out of striking distance. The man tried guard against it, but Yuri knew that would only last for so long._ 'No complicated swordplay against more experienced opponents if it can be avoided. Repede fought exactly how he was trained to fight, and I almost messed it up…'_

In front of him, the assassin's barrier gave away. The man tried dodging by half-rolling out of the way, but It was to no avail. Each wave inflicted more wounds until he finally stopped moving completely.

Panting heavily, Yuri stared at the body in front of him. He felt hazy, as if the image was surreal. He had won. He had shown his enemies that he wasn't going to go down easily. Well, sure, he had a lot of help from Repede and Estelle, but-

'_Estelle!'_

He instantly whirled around in search of her. Partly to his relief, she was still alive, and doing quite well for herself as one of her enemies was an unmoving object on the floor. The second one was apparently proving to be a much harder opponent, however, as she was locked in an extremely quick close quarters sword-to-knives fight. Repede had positioned himself between the combatants and Yuri to protect him against any stray attacker, and looked at him questioningly.

He was about to give the word and move in on the last assassin when Estelle took the need away. In a stunning display of skill, she sidestepped an attack, then quickly rotated outward into a jumping slash which connected with the man's mask twice. Continuing the same fluid motions, she used a powerful trusting attack which apart from impaling the assassin also unleashed a shockwave which threw his body back a few feet, where it crashed into a suit of armor.

'_Ouch… That could have easily been me, instead,' _Yuri thought, a chill running up down his spine. He hadn't realized that he had been gazing at the fallen assassin until Estelle was right next to him."Yuri! Are you all right!"

"Uh, yeah… it was no problem, really," Yuri said lamely, scratching his neck in embarrassment. He knew that if anyone with any common sense took a good look at the surroundings, that person would beg to differ. There was a lot of blood on a fairly large portion of the ground and even some on the wall, with the last severely damaged due to being repeatedly hit with aer shockwaves. Not to mention that the assassin's body was a complete mess compared to Estelle's fast and clean kills. Fortunately he was saved from further embarrassment as he noted an important detail…

"What about you, though? You're the one who's been cut over the arm," He asked in concern.

"I'm sorry?" Estelle inquired. "Oh, this… well, it's nothing, really. I already used a spell to neutralize the poison," she finished, upon which she started channelling Aer for a healing spell.

"Wait… you had time to cast a spell while fighting _two_ of those guys?" Yuri was unable to completely keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"First aid," she mumbled. "Well, one of them, as I managed to defeat the other one first. I probably could have avoided getting hit if I hadn't… um… tripped over my dress," she admitted, blushing slightly.

Yuri's mouth opened, then closed again. He really didn't know what to say.

"It's much too long," the ex-knight explained. From her facial expression, he gathered that she took it as a serious issue. "I jumped back, landed on the fabric and fell backwards. I don't know how anyone could move around in this freely,"

'_She tripped but __still__ won…'_

"-sorry, it wouldn't have happened if I still had my old dress, but the Captain insisted-"

"It's all right," Yuri said, regaining his voice. "I think it's pretty clear that you did much better than me."

"But what if you had gotten injured and needed-"

"We're safe for now, mostly thanks to you. That's all that matters," Yuri insisted. "These guys weren't exactly harmless opponents, either. They're Red Eyes. Do you know what that means?"

"No… I've never seen anyone like them before," Estelle answered after a moment, glancing over the assassins again. "I don't think I've ever heard about them, either."

"It goes back to the last great war with the Guilds," said Yuri, slowly moving towards one of the fallen. "Back then, there were a number of reports on ominously dressed figures appearing behind our lines. Eventually, some of these were linked to the sudden death or unsolved murders of important officers. The ones we did manage to corner all committed suicide before they could be captured, so we know very little about their structure. The only thing we really know is that they're a group of elite assassins which either form a Guild or were hired extensively by the Guilds."

"Elite assassins…" Estelle repeated, obviously troubled. "Strange; I was there, and I'm pretty sure there weren't any rumours on people like this."

"Those reports were classified, and I figure the higher-ups in the military tried to cover those deaths up as much as possible to avoid loss of morale," Yuri mused. "I only know about them as I'm supposed to be aware of… dangerous groups that may or may not want me out of the way."

Estelle was quiet for a while, apparently thinking hard. He supposed he couldn't blame her, as she currently didn't even know half of what was going on. Tentatively he poked the Red Eye with his sword. Next to him, Repede glared at the body so intensely that Yuri supposed it would have been afraid to come back from the dead if it could.

"We need to get away from here; these three couldn't have caused all the commotion by themselves," the swordswoman finally pointed out. The prince froze as he had completely forgotten about the alarm in the excitement of the fight. "And when we do, could you tell me what- what are you doing, Yuri?"

"Searching the body for anything meaningful," he immediately replied, continuing with his hasty search. Unfortunately, apart from a vial of ominous green liquid, there wasn't much to be found. "Right, follow me," he said, picking up the bags of gear and setting a brisk pace down the corridor, to which his companions followed suit. He hadn't gotten far when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

"Yuri, can I ask you something? About the last fight…"

"Go ahead," he answered while planning a route to a supposedly safe location.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"What do you mean? I already told you I wasn't injured."

"That's not what I meant," Estelle said, shaking her head. "This was your first real battle wasn't it? And you… well… killed someone. Don't you feel bad about doing that?"

"I… no, not really, actually," Yuri answered truthfully. "Those men were sent to kill me, kill us both, and they failed. To me, it means all that training for if something like this ever happened was successful. If I feel anything, I guess I feel a bit elated."

"Oh," Estelle brought out, her expression unreadable. "When I fought my first battle, I was forced to kill twice. It made me nauseous and I couldn't even sleep normally for a few nights afterwards. I never really got used to the act of killing, either. I think that's why I was reassigned to just healing the wounded so quickly."

"So why did you bring this up?"

"Well, it helped me a bit to talk about it to someone, but I suppose that won't be needed in your case," she replied and made to fall back a bit.

"Wait, can I ask you something in return?" he asked, to which she paused and nodded. "If you don't like to kill, why did you finish those men just now? You just might be skilled enough to have dealt with them in some non-lethal way…"

"I don't think I could have. But even If I could, they were assassins. They dedicate their lives to only hurt others. I couldn't have risked someone as important as you being injured due to my dislike of killing opponents."

'_Apart from assassins, the same could be said about mercenaries, soldiers, monster hunters and just about all serious opponents that we might face along the way, but I suppose that's for another time," _the prince realized. "Well, that's one thing we have in common, then."

Estelle looked at him questioningly.

"If I had been feeling bad about having killed someone, I wouldn't have let it affect the way I fight or the way I do things. I don't have the luxury to do so right now. The safety of those around me comes first," he explained.

'_Not that I can contribute to their safety in battle to the same degree as they contribute to mine, or not yet, at least,' _he dryly added to himself.

"It's… good to hear that, but that reminds me, I _still_ don't know much about what is going on, or why you're here, Yuri."

"Yeah. I guess I should fill you in on things. We're nearly there."

* * *

Garrote gazed upon his dead brethren. Anger battled with guilt for supremacy and he denied both from interfering with his integrity.

As the leader, their safety had been his responsibility. He didn't know much about them, but he knew that Slice had somehow managed to have a family. He would have to see that they were compensated once this was all over. For now, he glanced around the area for clues as to what had happened.

From the way Vice had died, he could have sworn Zagi had killed them, but that didn't fit with the far more precise kills in the same corridor. An amateur and a professional, then?

A quick look in the surrounding rooms revealed that they were all empty, safe for two unconscious Royal Guards that were put under a bed by someone. Since there was really no reason for killing them, he decided to leave them alone. It was interesting as it indicated that someone had broken in here, someone who distrusted the royal guards and whom his men saw fit to attack. It could only really be one person.

'_When a man knows himself to be hunted, paranoia reigns.'_

This meant that there was one most logical person for the professional as well. It had to be the girl, unless the briefing has severely underestimated the prince's battle prowess. While not much time could have passed since they fled the scene, it would be impossible to catch up to the target. The castle was too vast, and…

'_There wasn't a visible trail to follow. They either weren't injured, or healed themselves afterwards. He must have known we were coming. I have to escape and inform the master of our allies' incompetence, or betrayal. But first, with hopefully all of the men safely out of here, I need to deal with the Master's tool of destruction. I can't have him accidentally killing too many of our current allies, even if our alliance may end soon. That is for the master to decide.'_

Steeling himself, he set off to find Zagi. This would be easy; he just had to follow the rumour and the occasional screams. Whether he would kill or subdue him, he didn't know yet.

"I know things look pretty bad from what you've seen," Yuri began as he forced the lock to the storage room without paying any attention to the process. The dusty storeroom was unremarkable and chosen only due to its proximity to the barracks, from where Yuri was planning to escape. The swordswoman quietly followed him inside, listening intently. Apparently she had seen or heard enough not to be surprised by his skill at the act. "But things are actually a lot worse," he bluntly said.

He situated himself on a crate, and turned to face Estelle, who had sat down on an old chair while still holding her sword and shield. Even after partaking in a life-or-death type fight, he easily could have mistaken her for an actual noblewoman. A rather unusual one, as they usually never carried weapons. Most of the vain ones thought it unladylike, and most of the noblewoman were vain, or at least in Yuri's eyes. Then again, just about everyone was always trying to kiss his butt, so his view was probably biased.

'_Need to focus,'_ he reminded himself. "All right, I'll give you a brief overview of what happened recently. It started when I received a tip from a friend..."

And he told her everything, from the declining number of potential inheritors to the throne to his recent findings about corruption, trying to keep everything as short and objective as possible. From what he was about to ask her, he figured he owed her at least the complete truth. To Estelle's credit, she remained reasonably calm throughout his monologue, only openly exclaiming disbelief when he got into Ioder's disappearance and the details surrounding it.

"Are you sure? The royal guards with him are corrupt? I just can't believe it… From what I've heard from a few of them, they dedicate their entire lives to make sure the royal family comes to no harm."

"I'm afraid so," Yuri solemnly answered. "Interrogating some clergy confirmed it. I have ample reason to believe them."

*Woof…*

"Is that why you attacked the guards outside of my room?"

"Yeah, and for the record, I didn't want to scare you. I suppose I should have thought about that beforehand." Hopefully the darkness covered his slight blush. It did, but even if it hadn't, Estelle was pondering too much to notice. "Why did you come to me?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Well, as you've probably noticed, Zaphias isn't exactly safe anymore," Yuri answered in his driest possible tone. "I'm going to meet up with a friendly military unit near Halure and convince its leader to join me on a journey. The eventual goal is to rescue Ioder and have him crowned emperor as soon as possible. I would have snuck out of here by myself, but my allies insisted it was too dangerous. The way things look now, I agree, which I why I want to ask one of the very few persons we can trust for sure to come with me. That would be you," he finished, completely serious.

It was hard to see, but the woman's eyes widened in astonishment. "M-me? _Just_ me?" she stammered, "But I… I'm not…"

"You're not what?" Yuri asked. "You've proven that you're good enough with a sword."

"No…I'm really out of shape," Estelle declared. "I haven't fought often in the last three years. I'm a doctor, Yuri, not a knight. I'm not going to be able to protect you as well as the royal guards, _especially _not by myself. If there was even one more of those assassins, or we hadn't known they were coming-"

"They would have to find us first," the prince countered. "There'd be only three of us. The less people we have with us, the easier it is to hide or travel without drawing attention to ourselves."

"Well… maybe… but no. I'm honoured to be asked, your Highness, but I really think that you should select properly trained elite guards. If you don't trust anyone around you, you're on a path that can't end well."

"First off, your old instructor supports the idea of me taking 'just you'. In fact, the suggestion came from her. Secondly, I don't distrust everyone around me: I just don't want to take any unnecessary risks. Lastly, you're going to Aspio to see Mordio, right? That's in the same general direction."

Estelle stood up and slowly walked towards the window, where she looked into the night. "I'm sorry, Yuri. I don't feel like I'm the right person for such a huge responsibility. I'll travel to Aspio alone."

'_This isn't going well,' _Yuri thought. _' I doubt that if she really feels that way, I can make her change her mind with arguments. So… should I force her to come? I feel bad about blackmailing her, but I promised to take her with me. If I don't she'll go alone, which is bad for both of us,'_

"Yeah, I don't suppose recovering the aqua blastia is all that important anyway," he said, whirling away from Estelle. This evoked a fierce and immediate reaction.

"What! How can you even say that! Thousands of people depend on it as their source of clean water!" Estelle cried out in protest. "And what do you even mean? I just said I would be going there!"

"And how are exactly are you going to get inside, then?" Yuri asked slyly. "There is only one main entrance, and it's under strict guard, both by mages and knights. Unless you're invited, don't count on just being able to walk in."

I… hadn't thought about that," Estelle reluctantly admitted, upon which she calmed down. "Could you get me past the guards, then?"

"Regardless of how I have to do it," he promised.

Estelle sighed in resignation. "I think it's a mistake to go with a group this small… but I guess I don't have a choice, then."

"Hey, cheer up a bit. Aspio isn't that far off, and by the time you get back, we'll probably have been able to get that execution order for you withdrawn."

The young woman in front of him visibly brightened. It almost looked as if a heavy weight literally fell off of her shoulders. "Y-you can do that?" she asked hopefully. "I didn't know that was even possible…"

"They're corrupt, probably even more than the knights. They'd sell their own mothers for the right price," the prince explained. "Even if they didn't, there's lots of dirt on some of them that they don't want out in the open. "

"I see," Estelle commented, deep in thought. "Ok… I'll go with you, but I'll need to have more suitable travelling gear than just this dress. If there's anything that will draw attention, it's someone wandering outside of the town barriers wearing something like this," she finished, indicating her exquisite garment.

"Already thought about that," Yuri said, grabbing one of the bags he was carrying and giving it to her. He was quite glad to be rid of it as it wasn't exactly light. "That one's for you. Your old instructor packed it with what she thought was suitable."

Estelle glanced at the contents of the bag and gasped, bulling out a mostly black uniform. "I can't wear this!" she immediately exclaimed.

Yuri whistled. "Hah, a royal guard uniform without the fancy gold makeup. You should be honored: for Lisa, that's a sigh of absolute trust."

"I know… but I don't like dressing like any part of the military. It reminds me of the past, and I left the Knights for a reason."

This time, Yuri sighed. "Look, I don't think we have much of a choice right now. You can't be tripping over that dress again. If you want to, I promise we'll stop by at the first village to get you something else, but_ please_ change clothes so we can escape properly."

"…I suppose you're right," Estelle agreed, though obviously not thrilled about the concept. "By the way, what happened to my own dress?"

Yuri's first thought was to tell her to just hurry up and not spend even more time on what she had to wear (was she just as vain as the real noblewomen at the castle?), but then he took a moment to think. As she came from the lower quarter, she probably had relatively few possessions. It might actually be justifiably important to her, due to monetary or sentimental value, or both.

"I don't know," he admitted truthfully. "It was in a very bad state; if it wasn't thrown away, it would have taken a lot of time to repair."

Estelle was quiet for a moment, then pulled out the uniform further and inspected it briefly in the moonlight. "Please leave me alone for a moment, your Highness."

"You really don't have to be so sentimental about wearing it. Just think of it as basic black clothing. It's very well suited for sneaking around at night," he replied, misinterpreting her and also realizing that he knew too little to really comment on whatever she felt. There was obviously some issue going on that he'd have to find out about sooner or later.

"I'm sorry?" Estelle asked, throwing him a confused look. "No, I… um… prefer to dress without someone watching."

The obvious explanation caught Yuri off-guard, and his mind blanked. As if instructed to take notice, he caught himself immediately glancing over the pink-haired woman. In the dim moonlight, it was almost as if her dress glowed, yet it was hard to really study her figure at the same time. Her overall image was undeniably alluring, yet also somewhat mysterious, as the shadows covering her reminded him that he knew virtually nothing about her other than her military records. The sword she held and the visible cut along her upper arm did nothing to subtract from the image; instead, they added to an elusive feeling of familiarity that he couldn't quite place.

Realizing that the period of silence was lasting a few dangerous seconds too long, he tore his gaze away. "Yeah, my mistake, sorry," he brought out, swiftly walking towards the door. "I'll be right outside."

"Oh, and Yuri, please don't try to peek," Estelle called after him when he was just about to exit the room. He froze. "I was told that you don't have the most… um… 'noble' reputation."

"Whatever you heard, most of those stories are really exaggerated," he quickly replied, closing the door. _'Thanks a lot, Lisa and random royal guards…' _he added to himself, aware that the earlier silence must have felt even more awkward to Estelle.

*Woof?* Replied asked him outside, still standing guard.

"Well, we couldn't have expected everything to go completely smoothly, right?" he replied, automatically taking cover in the darkness. "We're asking a lot, and she does have a point. In the end there's only three of us."

*Growl…*

"Yeah, but that was only one fight. We shouldn't get overconfident: there's too much at stake in the end."

*Woof. … Woof?*

Yuri blinked. "What, not you too?" he asked in exaggeration, dropping his voice as low as possible. "No, of course I wasn't going to do it! It would have been highly inappropriate, all things considered."

'_And it would have put her on high guard for the rest of the way. If I really want to, there's bound to be a better chance somewhere. Only an idiot would try pushing his luck.'_

*Yawn*

"Right," said Yuri, obviously unconvinced. "Look, us humans aren't exactly proud of our 'fur'. I guess we're more like embarrassed, and it doesn't go down well if we openly try to extensively look at the 'fur' of someone else. It's usually seen as majorly violating someone's privacy."

*Snort. …Woof?*

"That's a different story, but that doesn't really apply to us, does it?" Yuri responded dully. "And if my cousin… has died, I'll… I don't want to think about what I'll do or be forced to do."

*Woof…*

"Yeah, we have other things to worry about, such as why this alarm is taking so long. What could possibly be giving the guards this much of a hard time?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Estelle put on every piece of gear that had been packed for her, occasionally throwing a glance at the door. 'Her' green dress lay discarded on the bed, as there was no chance she would be bringing something like that along. As for the leather armor, it was standard issue, sturdy yet unrestrictive concerning movement. It fit perfectly, doubtlessly thanks to her instructors efforts.

However, she found it hard to really concentrate on what she was doing. While she had had suspicions on how deeply the corruption problems of the empire were rooted, having them confirmed by no one less than a prince was unnerving at best. The fight with the Red-Eyes had further proven how fragile the situation really was: they had been able to get _that_ far into the castle, and if they had managed to kill Yuri with Ioder captive…

No, she didn't want to think about it. She also preferred not to think about what a huge responsibility was being thrown on her shoulders. It was ironic, really, that even after having rejected the offer of joining the royal guards at the end of the war, she somehow still ended up being a part of it. Not having a completely similar uniform and not having made the oath didn't change her position in the slightest. Not only that, but the royal guard consisted of hundreds of men and women. Even the group that had been with Ioder when they broke out of the hospital camp had consisted of a dozen elite warriors.

In this she was alone, and she didn't have any choice but to accept.

It might have been slightly less of a sudden blow if someone had asked her beforehand, but no one had. Part of her felt betrayed in a way, but she did her best to keep a clear mind. Yuri had promised to help her recover the aqua blastia, and she had the feeling he could be trusted despite his reputation.

As she put on the thick gloves, she glanced over herself one final time. She might have looked imposing and intimidating, something which she neither liked nor something that suited her. A stray thought told her that the royal guards of the past had worn different uniforms instead, but that they had switched out for some reason. She realized that being unable to recall the details was a clear sign of stress, as she had ALWAYS been able to reproduce just about anything she had ever read or heard.

'_I just need to help Yuri escape from here. I'll think about everything else later,' _she thought, opening the door into the hallway. It looked completely deserted. "I'm ready," she said softly.

"I can see that: the armor looks good on you," Yuri remarked, suddenly clearly visible. She could have sworn there hadn't been anything there just a second ago. There was an eerie parallel between the prince and those assassins from earlier.

"What is the best way to escape? Do you have a route planned for us?" asked Estelle, not willing to waste any more time.

"Contrary to popular belief, I _always_ plan ahead," the prince claimed, already moving away. Mimicking his masters exploits, Repede was suddenly by his side, as if appearing from thin air. "This time, I'm planning to destroy part of the castle wall," Yuri continued.

"What? You can do that? But... Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Yes, it is," came the dull reply. Estelle would have sighed if this had been anyone but a prince. "It's something that anyone looking for us would never expect us to do," he elaborated further.

"But isn't there some sort of secret passage out of here?" she tried, not quite liking that idea. "There's always at least one in the stories about ancient and fabled castles."

At this question, Yuri actually tripped. "Um… how to put it… you're partly right," he said, picking himself back up. She heard a distinct tone of embarrassment.

"Huh? How can I be 'partly' right?" she asked, puzzled and curious.

"Well, there was this passageway under a statue in the barracks…"

"But? Please go on."

"I… kind of used it once too often to get out of here, and Lisa decided to destroy the passageway years ago," Yuri finished really quickly. "You wouldn't have liked it down there, anyway: It lead through the sewers, " he added in defense.

"That wouldn't be so bad if it lead us to safety," said Estelle. Figuring that there was no point in lamenting over the loss of a quick and safe exit, she dropped the issue. "You must really hate living here if you try to escape that often, Yuri. Did you learn all those odd skills while doing so?"

"I did," he admitted while glancing around a corner. "Life as a prince isn't what the same stories about 'ancient and fabled castles' make it out to be. It's mostly deadly dull, except for the last few days. Personally I'd prefer a more exciting place to live in, such as where you're from."

"I don't think you' would feel about it that way if you really knew what it was like to live there," Estelle replied sadly, looking away. "No one would ever pick that over a life here, one of luxury and above all, safety."

To her surprise, Yuri actually chuckled. "I probably know more than you think about that, as I've been there a few times. And luxury… well… unless you like to wear expensive clothing and read a lot, there's not that much to it."

"You can't be serious about that, Yuri! People _die _in the streets there all the time, stabbed for the few pieces of copper they're carrying," Estelle countered angrily. _'And reading a lot sounds very enjoyable, actually…'_

"In the last twenty years, the number of inheritors to the throne dropped from sixteen to two, possibly one. This place isn't any safer for me than any other," Yuri responded evenly.

*Woof!*

"Oh, I'm sorry… I forgot about that," Estelle muttered, feeling very bad about her previous comment.

"It's all right," said Yuri, waving away the apology. "I don't think you could understand without knowing the details of living here. And it's true that people don't openly kill each other in the castle hallways, even at night. You know, maybe we could tell each other a bit more about life in our respective environments when we get out of here. I'd be really interested, at least. Deal?"

The medic paused. Well, if he wanted to, maybe that would be a good way to apologize. "Sure, that sounds interesting."

Yuri smiled. "It's a deal, then."

* * *

At first, everything went well. There were a few close calls in which they barely succeeded hiding from Knights which were running around frantically, but with Yuri's knowledge of the castle layout and Repede's early warnings, they progressed to the barracks quite quickly. That was until Repede suddenly stopped moving.

*WOOF!* * GROWL!*

The swordswoman automatically turned to Yuri for a translation. She had no idea how the prince was able to understand him, but while she was dying to find out, this wasn't the time. What she did make out from the tone was to pull out her sword and brace herself just in case, and she did.

"He smells blood, and 'things worse than blood', lots and lots of it up ahead," Yuri explained worriedly, turning to her. "It's so thick that he can't actually smell which corridor it's coming from. He's never had that before…"

"There must have been lots of fighting around here," Estelle concluded, not really liking that piece of information. "Are we far from the exit?"

"It's pretty close. We just have to move by here and then it's just past the archives. It's the shortest distance to the surrounding wall any exit can give us. In the meantime, stay alert," the prince said, taking out his own sword.

"Something feels wrong," she whispered as they continued their path. "These are the barracks; why do we see so few knights? Especially if there was a large fight-"

"-There should have been reinforcements streaming in," Yuri agreed, moving towards one of the doors very slowly.

"Either to secure the area or to take care of the injured," Estelle muttered. The prince listened intently at the door, then glanced at Repede, who shifted uneasily. And then he opened it.

Even before she actually registered what she saw, the incoming wave of sheer nauseating air told her enough. While Estelle had seen more than her fair share of mutilations as a healer, the scene greeting the three of them made her scream nonetheless. Yuri and Repede didn't fare any better, with the latter cowering away from the sheer stench of death and with the prince just barely able to withstand the urge to throw up.

Bodies of knights were spread across the hallway, more often mutilated then not. Blood and gore were everywhere. This place hadn't been the site of battle; it was a site of gruesome slaughter.

When Yuri recovered from the shock, he frantically closed the door. "Wrong way," he said simply, starting to run in the opposite direction.

"Wait, we can't!" Estelle protested, grabbing his hand.

"Why not?"

"We need to see if any of them are still alive," she explained, turning back to the door.

Yuri looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. "Did you even _see_ what that corridor looked like? Do you really think any of those people survived?"

"Yes," Estelle replied bluntly, copying Yuri's earlier response. "We can't leave before we're sure."

"Ok, on the off chance that one of them is dying instead of dead, is that worth taking the risk? What if whatever did that to them is around here? We should move around quietly," the prince replied.

Estelle was about to drag him there by force, but then remembered that she didn't have to.

"I'm going there anyway," she proclaimed, completely serious. "If you want me to protect you, you'll have to come with me," she finished, heading for the door. It was a pleasant surprise to see Yuri open it first."We really shouldn't be taking this risk, though," he commented, face contorting due to the stench. Whatever small feeling of victory Estelle would have felt was instantly lost in the realization that the hallway wasn't quite as lifeless anymore.

"YES! I SMELL IT! THE BLOOD OF A LOWELL!"

_**Author's notes:**_

If you're wondering why I didn't move everyone out of Zaphias again, it's because of me trying to add meaningful skits (=mostly short dialogue, no thought or introspective) and character interactions. The chapter that will accompany this one shortly applies some skipping methods to get them out while still trying to be as memorable as possible.

Short scene by scene:

1-2-3: Yuri gains Estelle's trust little by little, up until the fight with the assassins where they basically confirm his story by just being there to kill him. Since they have to be experienced assassins, there has to be a good reason for Yuri, as an inexperienced fighter, to be able to stand up to one. Making it appear too easy for him would remove the Red-Eyes (and the opposition in general?) as a credible thread. In the end, I tried achieving this by having Yuri and Repede double teaming one target as they've been taught to do, along with making Vice a more reckless and arrogant opponent than the other two (and thus likely easier to defeat). While Yuri does win, it's not even remotely stylish or fluent. Please give him some time to grow.

One thing that always bothers me with really fictional dangerous missions and tasks is that the fictional people that are asked along often say 'Yes' way too easily. To take a recent example, in the game Mass Effect 2, you're collecting a supposedly super-powerful team of aliens to go on a suicide mission. _Every single one of them_ immediately agrees when you find them, except for one who joins the second time. It's not even possible to fail getting them to come with you once you talk to them.

I wasn't pushing for Estelle to refuse just to refuse though, as I do believe she has a point here. I can see her being modest enough to be unable to agree with the idea. Of course, there are a lot of good reasons to go as well. This reaction felt a bit better to me and gave me the option of using the slightly altered line from the scene where you (can) pick Estelle to seduce the guard.

I personally liked how the peeking issue was resolved, but I'm eager to hear opinions.

Also, I have something to ask, apart from if you would please review the story to tell me your thoughts and support it. I'm looking for an additional Beta, one that is an absolute expert on the storyline and very familiar with the characters of ToV. If you're also a grammar expert, that is an added plus. The main reason for this is that I feel the need to discuss some of the planned plotline and characterisations before releasing them. If you're interested, please let me know by a pm or a review.

-kind regards,

Dieuwtjin


	9. Chapter 9

**Brief introduction: **

The ending of chapter was slightly rushed as I wanted it to be out before the vacation. I wanted to include two more scenes, but they will have to wait at least two weeks. I also want to thank everyone for their continued support. IF you wonder why this chapter took 4 weeks while it was mostly dopne when the previous chapter was released, it's because I got literally writer's blocked at the last three scenes (of which only one was done in time).

**Nobility chapter 9: To escape.**

With even just one glance at the man in front of them, Yuri could tell he was a serious nutcase. A very dangerous, highly insane nutcase. He was completely soaked in blood mixed with… bits of things that Yuri probably didn't want to know what they exactly were. It was also evident that he had been slashed many times, with numerous gashes running across an unarmored chest and all along his arms and legs. How he was still able to stand or move was-

"DIE!"

Something happened, and it wasn't until he bumped into Estelle that he realized she had pulled him from his earlier position along with closing the door. It wasn't a moment too soon, as a knife flew _through _the door, crossing the space he had just occupied and somehow having enough force left to land a good number of paces in the hall behind them.

As if time was slowed, he turned from the knife to the swordswoman, just as she glanced from the turned to him. He was sure he had to be expressing at least an equal amount of disbelief. From the other side of the door, footsteps closed in rapidly. Both took one glance at the door and realized that they had to move immediately.

"Duck and use an arte!" Estelle yelled, and they did. It wasn't a second too soon.

"Azure edge!"

"Demon fang!"

The door exploded outward with the two shockwaves, yet it didn't seem to slow the emerging figure down at all. The assassin still wore a hungry and insane look, and seemed to be utterly fixated on Yuri.

'_Some opponents will not care about getting injured, either because they are insane, fanatical, depressed or whatever,' _Flynn's voice warned him. Yuri became even more weary.

"Finally… after hiding behind all those soldiers, you come to face me, Yuri Lowell. Now, I'll have what was promised to me!" said the red figure, almost sounding calm compared to his earlier self.

Repede growled fiercely.

"'All those soldiers'? Are you the one who did that to those men!" Estelle demanded angrily.

The man slowly tilted his head to look at her. "And you, you must be, Flynn Scifo!" he concluded with a beyond creepy grin.

Estelle froze. Yuri blinked. "Look, I don't want to shatter your world view or anything, but Flynn is a guy. S_he _is _definitely_ not a guy," the prince said, gesturing towards his guard at the side.

"Wait… do you know Flynn?" Estelle asked Yuri, snapping out of whatever daze she was in.

"Well-"

"Shut up, Lowell! I won't listen to your lies! My name is Zagi, and I've come to end your life! I WILL HAVE WHAT WAS PROMISED TO ME!" With that, he charged.

While Yuri had believed the assassin from earlier to be fast, Zagi was just as bad, if not worse. While they were reasonably close together, Estelle had difficulty getting in his way fast enough. Figuring that staying back wouldn't help this time either, Yuri signaled Repede and circled around to get a better angle from which to attack.

At least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, it went to hell from the very first attack.

In horror, Yuri watched as Estelle was practically thrown off of feet by a mighty sweep despite performing what looked like a perfect parry. Overpowering her with sheer strength, the insane attacker continued his advance and swiftly and recklessly hacked away. Repede, reaching them from the back faster than Yuri, performed a successful combination of attacks which didn't seem to affect Zagi at all, if he even noticed. The assassin just kept pushing an increasingly wavering Estelle further and further back and finished with an overhead swing that she blocked with her shield.

Whether it was from her cry of sheer pain, the loud snapping noise which Yuri could only assume was a bone (or multiple bones?) breaking, or even only the realization that Estelle and in extension, he was only a few seconds away from a probably death himself, he knew he had to think of something very fast.

'_He's after me first, the others second,'_ was the only thing that came to him.

"To hell with this! See you later, Zagi!" he cried, taking a 180 and running away as fast as he possibly could.

*WOOF!*

'_Follow me… take the bait…' _he wished over and over again, and he looked back over his shoulder.

"WHAT! No, I will not let you escape!" Zagi screamed, running away from the now kneeling Estelle. In a brief moment of relief, he realized that she was still alive. It ended when he saw Repede running after Zagi at full speed, gaining up on him.

"_No, stay back!"_ he gestured wildly out to Repede, but it was too late.

"I won't let you interfere!" Zagi screamed as he heard the dog approach, and he spun around to attack him. Repede jumped towards him, knife in his mouth, and Zagi caught him squarely in the face with his blade. There was a strange yelp and Yuri's companion fell to the side, where he laid unmoving.

The prince almost fell over his own feet in shock. _'No, that… couldn't have happened… Repede…'_

"NOW WE FINISH THIS!"

Somewhere Yuri found the discipline to continue running, first around a corner and then as far back into the corridor as possible before Zagi was too close. He clutched his sword, knowing that he had only _one_ shot to make this work. Everything depended on it.

"All right, come on then!" he cried, readying himself for the charge. Zagi didn't slow down at all. He tried to get a feel for his speed. "DIE!" the assassin cried, diving straight for him. Reckless as expected. One chance.

Yuri dropped himself backwards at the last possible second. Zagi's bloodthirsty grin lessened slightly as he did; maybe there was one sane part of him left that wondered what he was doing. That's when Yuri kicked upward as hard as he could managing to catch the diving assassin in the stomach from underneath. With Zagi's speed, it was enough to prolong his flight.

Their eyes met, he on the ground and Zagi in the air. Both attacked. Zagi swiped for Yuri's neck, his blade barely coming up short in range. In turn, Yuri stabbed, his far longer sword easily able to penetrate the unarmored assassin's chest, where it stuck, flying with the falling Zagi.

Quickly rolling onto his front, Yuri watched as Zagi fell into a suit of armor on display. There was no immediate movement once the racket ended, but sure enough, Zagi slowly picked himself back up, the sword still through his chest. "No… I… I WILL HAVE YOUR BLOOD!" he cried. By the time he got up, Yuri was already gone.

'_Estelle… Repede…'_

As the prince sprinted back into the original hallway, his gaze was immediately drawn to his canine companion, who was still lying still. With some difficulty he quicklygrabbed Repede's heavy body. His spirits lifted considerably as the dog opened one eye and yelped weakly on being so violently moved. They sank again when he noted that there was a very deep cut along the other side of his face, with blood covering most of it along with a large portion of his neck. "Hold on just a little longer, buddy, all right?"

*…woof…*

"Don't worry, we'll get-"

"THERE YOU ARE! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, LOWELL!"

Yuri froze in fear. That had come from _very_ close by. But… Zagi couldn't possibly have caught up with him yet, right? A spin to the back (which almost made him lose his balance due to Repede's added weight) revealed that he was wrong. In fact, Zagi was already diving towards him. In cold fear, Yuri knew that there would be no way he could possibly dodge or defend himself. He didn't even have his sword. This was it…

…or it would have been, if something hadn't moved past him from behind. With a faint cry of 'overlimit!', there was some a shockwave that threw both Yuri and Repede backwards a few meters. As Yuri stood back up, he noticed that Estelle was facing Zagi, who had also been thrown back by the blast.

"Yuri, run!" she quickly called to him. He would have protested, but this time there was really nothing Repede or he could do. Also, there was something odd about the way she looked; it was as if there were waves of energy radiating from her. "Right, but fall back with us!" Yuri answered, scrambling across the hall as fast as possible with Repede.

From behind, angry snarls from Zagi were mixed with the sounds of clashing swords. Estelle was apparently able to match him better, but by how much, or how long she would last, he didn't dare guess. What was obvious though, was that the sounds of battle were right on his heels as he half ran to the corridor with the dead knights.

'_As long as I stay ahead, and Estelle holds, I'll be fine, but how are we going to get rid of the guy? My sword is right through his chest and it doesn't bother him at all! Wait… what if I destroy part of the hallway? It should take him at least a few minutes to find the closest way around. I'll need enough to draw-'_

"I AM NOT FLYNN SCIFO!" Estelle screamed loudly from nearby, disrupting Yuri's half-formed plan. "Take this, Photon barrage!"

The wave of force emanating from the blasts was telling for the power of whatever Estelle had just used, and Yuri thought he actually heard Zagi scream in pain. He grinned; if she could hold out just a bit longer-

But she couldn't. From one moment to the next, she was suddenly at his side, half supporting Repede and half urging Yuri to move faster. Whatever strange power she had activated some time ago had ended. It took all his willpower to stay focused on the doorway in front of him and to ignore the assassin that was doubtlessly still behind them, or struggling to get back up to give chase.

The doorway was close. The glow of aer around Estelle told that she was casting a spell, and she broke off. He threw himself through the doorway and looked around.

"… Field barrier!" Estelle shouted. Yuri's eyes widened as Zagi seemed to crash into an invisible wall. Figuring this was the moment, he grabbed for the box of Aer spheres… but paused as Estelle fell to her knees. It was then that he noticed that her arm was in a rather unnatural position, and that her shield was nowhere to be seen. She had to be badly injured along with completely exhausted.

As he ran over to get her, Zagi bached the wall again and again. It flickered more and more with each hit, and deep down inside, Yuri knew that going back to pick up Estelle had probably thrown away his chance of immediate survival. If he got her back to the hallway while the barrier, he would somehow need to buy additional time to activate a sphere.

He had no idea how that would even be remotely possible.

The search for his insane colleague had lead Garrote to the barracks. Along the way, there had been multiple corridors filled with the bodies of royal guards and knights alike. He knew that even Zagi could not have been responsible for everything he had seen. It was likely that some of their more… 'pro-active' friends had tried to use the confusion to deal with groups of royal guards and loyalists among the knights, obviously with some degree of success. Whether or not that was wise was not something he dwelled on too long: if they were caught, the consequences were for their commanders.

In the end, he had just followed the bunches of corpses of those who had been slain 'Zagi style'.

Contrary to his expectations, the barracks were apparently almost empty, further strengthening his idea that something strange was going on. Still, it was irrelevant over Zagi's ridiculously loud screaming.

Hallway by hallway, corner after corner, he drew nearer, up until the point where he was able to faintly make out what was being said. Anticipation filled him briefly when he caught part of a sentence indicating that Zagi was chasing Yuri Lowell, but it faded when he heard him call out to 'Flynn Scifo' as well. According to their allies, there had been multiple accounts of Flynn having been lured away from the castle successfully. He concluded that Zagi had lost the remnants of his common sense.

Sure enough, when he finally came into view from the side, he was blindly hacking at some sort of magical barrier as a royal guard helped a downed female royal guard to get up and scrambled to get away from him. He sighed. No Flynn Scifo, no lower quarter inhabitant, no canine companion. Zagi had lost himself in rage and was hunting down unimportant guards one by one. He looked so slashed up that he must have been at it quite long, too.

'_Kill or subdue…?' _he wondered again.

"Zagi, we're leaving," he pronounced, grabbing his weapons and stepping out of the corridor. The other assassin ignored him, and kept on slashing until the barrier had disappeared completely. By then, Garrote was almost next to him, expecting an attack at any moment. "Zagi, the target has escaped. We're-"

"No. No! HE'S MINE! DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" Zagi screamed frantically.

Garrote glanced to the side and froze. There, in the hallway, was a heavily injured Repede. A closer inspection of the uniforms revealed that these people weren't guards either. They were the targets. He realized that Zagi, incredibly, had been right for once. His arm started moving as his mind automatically lined up the throw of his knife. From this distance, without obstacles, he couldn't possibly miss the prince.

"MINE!" Zagi screamed.

Tearing pain filled his world.

He realized had made a critical mistake: he had lowered his guard to the other assassin for an equally critical moment. The blade had connected with his neck before he ever had a chance to make the throw.

"Y-you… how dare you…" said Garrote, clasping the wound with one of his hands, but it vain: It was bleeding too hard, much too hard. A feeling arose inside of him akin to that of being short for air, but no amount of breathing could alleviate it.

He knew he was going to die.

But not before taking Lowell with him.

He lined up the throw again. He would succeed on the kill and fulfill the master's wishes. For some reason, the prince was frantically rummaging through his backpack. Why wasn't he running…?

No matter, nothing mattered apart from the kill. He threw the perfectly aimed knife, but its trajectory was interrupted by Zagi's chest as the assassin suddenly jumped in front of him. "NO! IT WAS PROMISED TO ME, NOT YOU!" he screamed, slashing Garrote for the second time, on the other side of the neck.

This time, the pain didn't really register compared to an omniprescent feeling of growing panic inside of him. He also felt cold, and his vision was starting to fill with black spots. His awareness of events slowed down.

Zagi was laughing.

Flashes of images came to him, some of his training, some of his master, some of Mutilate, yet most of the trip here. Flashes of every single time a prisoner had to be sacrificed just to calm Zagi down. Flashes of fear on the crew's faces every time he lost it anyway, or whenever he was mentioned in general. An image of how the master would reward Zagi when he returned with Yuri's head.

Anger gave him a final moment of clarity. _'Traitor… the others will know of your treachery!' _he swore, and forced himself back up just as Zagi turned away. He drew two more knives.

'_No superficial damage. Two separate attacks on separate vital areas. Quick and far less likely to leave a target breathing,'_ someone told him. For some reason he couldn't remember who the voice belonged to.

His vision dimmed further, yet all he needed to see was the man in front of him. He wore no armor. His back was turned. Two attacks; the heart and the brain. He jumped, and both attacks connected, or at least, he thought they did.

The man fell to the ground. He couldn't place his name, but he knew he had attacked him for a reason. The man didn't move. In front of him, someone else watched him silently, frozen in place. He looked back. It was a man. There was something familiar about him. He was important. He knew that there was something important he was supposed to do now, but he couldn't remember what.

He fell to the ground. He was vaguely aware that someone or something threw him backwards.

Then there was nothing.

Yuri couldn't believe what had just happened. _Somehow, _they had survived. They were saved _by a_ _Red-Eye_. Up until the very last moment before he had thrown the explode spear, he was convinced that the man in front of him would have thrown his weapons forward, or would have attacked him in some other way, but he just stood there, staring at him.

Seconds had passed before the man finally went down, and Yuri had immediately seized his chance. In front of him was a huge pile of broken stones and rubble, more than enough to completely seal the entrance. Even if Zagi had survived that brutal double attack, which seemed unlikely even for him, there was no way he could reach them quickly. They were safe.

What he wanted to do was to sit down, rest and get his nerves back under control, but he couldn't. Both Estelle and Repede were in a bad state and needed his help, the former breathing very slowly and gazing unfocussed to her front, the latter lying still on his side, whining softly. They fit right in with the scene of carnage and the actual dead, he grimly noted.

He sat down in front of Estelle, and received no reaction. Seeing her like this made him feel very guilty for taking her along, and he remembered her words on how it was a bad idea to travel with such a small group. Would more members have helped? If, so, how much?

"Estelle?" he tried, pushing useless musing as far away as possible.

There was no reaction.

Fear took hold of the prince. "Estelle!"

The former knight tilted her head to the side slightly. "Highness… right…?" She sounded tired and exhausted far beyond healthy levels.

"I'm fine," Yuri chuckled nervously, all the while rummaging through his backpack. "We're safe for now. That wall you made was really useful."

"…good…" she said weakly, her eyes closing slowly. In a surge of panic, not knowing what else to do, he squeezed Estelle's broken arm. She groaned in pain, but he figured that any way to keep her here was preferable to her dying or falling unconscious. "Estelle! Don't slip away!" he yelled, furthering his efforts to keep her by her senses. His left hand found a gel in his bag. "Here, take this."

After a bit of nudging, one of her eyes opened further and she looked at the silvery substance. "…Expensive…" she muttered.

"Expensive?" Yuri almost had to laugh, but he found it touching more than anything else. "Don't worry. We can afford it."

What actually happened was that he practically shoved it into her mouth, wanting to get her out of this state as quickly as possible. After a few tentative chews she slowly started to regain her normal composure. "Are you feeling better?" Yuri asked after a moment.

"My arm is still broken," Estelle replied softly, still weak but not nearly as bad as a few moments ago. "So insanely strong, I still can't believe-"

"You still held him off pretty well," Yuri reminded her. "And he's gone now: Some Red-Eye came and they got into a fight. They killed each other in the end," he then explained, just in case Estelle hadn't noticed herself.

"I… panicked," she confided to him, as if what he just said hadn't registered. "At the start of the fight, I thought I was going to die. After you came back, I used more than I should have used. I used far too much magic, and I went into overlimit before I was able to rest enough."

"Well, it worked, didn't it? All three of us are still alive. That's more than I can say for Zagi and that other Red-Eye."

"I don't know," Estelle answered doubtfully. "That man… I hit him multiple times, you stabbed him through the heart, and he looked so injured before we even got here. He was still alive in the end. Medically speaking, he was supposed to be dead a number of times over."

"…Let's worry about that another time," Yuri proposed. "For now, can you heal yourself back to health?"

Estelle tried moving her arm, and used a minute bit of aer. "I hope so," she answered, and started channeling for a more powerful healing spell. A soft light glowed while she pulled her arm back to a more natural form. "This should –AH!- be enough for now. I need to rest for it to heal properly."

Yuri nodded in relief. "Good… and don't ever scare me like that again, all right?"

Estelle looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry? I didn't mean to-"

"Never mind; Let's get you back up your feet. Repede needs medical attention."

Yuri assisted Estelle in rising up, then walked to Repede with her, carefully ignoring all the bodies to the side.

*…Woof…*

"This isn't the time to play tough, buddy," Yuri commented as they set down next to him, Estelle examining him on one side and Yuri gently patting him on the other. While Estelle looked at Repede, flashes of the previous fight went through Yuri again, and he kept wondering if there was something he could have done better. Maybe he should have warned Repede in advance? No… he realized that he was pondering useless matters again.

"How bad is it?" he asked after about a minute of silence. The look Estelle gave him in return spoke volumes. "The knife didn't penetrate to his brain. The blood loss doesn't seem to be too bad, so he isn't in acute danger of dying…

Yuri was afraid to ask. "But?"

"Multiple critical structures of his eye have been nearly or completely destroyed. I… can't heal those, nor can any gel. He won't be able to use it ever again," Estelle concluded in sadness.

"Ever? Why can't it be healed?"

"Well… the eye is a very delicate organ, consisting of numerous tiny structures which we assume all have important separate functions. However, from what we know, not all of them have regenerative capacities. Even if they all had, the damage is just too great, as is the case of lost limbs. For magic to act on something, there has to be a certain amount of healthy body substance to work from, and there has to be regenerative capacity. The brain and nerves are notoriously hard to heal, for instance," Estelle explained.

*Woof…*

"That sounds weird… isn't it the point of magic that you can do things that aren't normally possible? You make it sound like it's just a way of speeding up the natural healing process."

"It is," Estelle answered, slightly surprised. "But you must have heard this before? I'd have thought a prince would be taught this at school?"

"I… um… always found magic a bit of a boring subject. I was never any good at it," Yuri replied, averting his eyes in shame.

The healer frowned. " But, then how did you use that spell on the royal guards and how did you just destroy the entrance to the hallway?"

"I have these 'things' with me that are basically spells in jars. They're gifts from a friend."

"Really? That's amazing! I never would have thought that was possible, though I guess it's the same principle as used for making life bottles," Estelle remarked, strangely excited.

*woof…?*

"Huh? Oh! Yes, sorry. I'll get right to healing it as best I can."

"Wait, did you just understand what Repede was saying?" said Yuri, staring at her.

"Shhh, I'm trying to concentrate," she answered, beginning what was probably a rather complicated and powerful healing spell.

Unwilling to disturb her further, the prince rose up and walked along the bodies of the corridor. He didn't know any of the knights, and was only vaguely familiar with these royal guards, except for one…

"Lloyd," he said softly, kneeling down at his remains. He noticed that the eyes were still open, so he closed them. "I… hope your end was quick and painless." Estelle said something, but he was too lost in thought to notice. Colette would be heartbroken when she heard. He glanced at the other soldiers. No, _many_ people would be heartbroken just for these dead alone.

"Was he… a friend of yours?" Estelle suddenly asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"I thought you had to concentrate on healing?" Yuri said over his shoulder. Estelle was still tending to Repede in the exact same manner, though she was looking at him instead.

"_Starting_ the spell is hard. Once it has begun to take effect, sustaining it isn't nearly as difficult," she replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Yuri sighed. He really should have paid more attention during magic lessons, such as Ioder had done.

"Well, I guess you could say that we were 'friends'," he said, coming round to answer her question. "He was a lot less… 'uptight' than the average royal guard, maybe a little goofy too, but very friendly overall. He even let me go once when I was trying to get out; something about having to see a certain 'dork'," he finished. As he did, the spell Estelle had been using finished its duration. Yuri was slightly surprised to see Repede standing up next to Estelle by himself, looking completely healthy apart from a lap of black clothing that was bound over his disabled eye.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Estelle said, her face severe.

"Well, we weren't exactly _that _close, but he did deserve better. Everyone here did, probably," Yuri said, gesturing around. "They _are_ dead, aren't they? All of them?"

"…Yes. I'm sorry: it probably _was_ a mistake to come back here."

"I get the feeling that he would have found us anyway," Yuri answered, trying to shake off a sudden feeling of doubt in their chances of survival. He then turned to Repede. "Are you feeling better, buddy?" he asked, trying to sound far more cheerful than he actually felt.

*Woof!* He barked enthusiastically.

"Really, you're fine? Well then, maybe this will work out for you in the end. I'm sure the girls will be all over you for that eye patch: It makes you look really tough. Not to mention that scar…"

*Whine*

"Hey, you know I'm kidding. Can you scout ahead a bit? There's something I need to do here."

*Woof!* Repede said, then dashed for the nearest junction.

"He's really energetic," Estelle said, watching after him, smiling softly. "And a lot more cheerful than I'd have expected for someone who just lost his eye."

"He's either trying to cheer us up, trying not to think about it, or both. It's what I would do," Yuri said, kneeling back down at Lloyd's body.

"…What are you doing?" the medic asked him.

"Taking the swords," he answered. "He won't be needing them anymore, and if I happen to lose my sword again, I'll have a spare. Seems like the sword belt is undamaged, too," he finished, inspecting the item.

"Hmmm… maybe I should take a shield as well," Estelle pondered.

"Do it. There's no reason not to," Yuri said absently, fastening the second swordbelt, this one over his chest and shoulder. Estelle mumbled something he couldn't quite make out, but as he looked over his shoulder, he knew.

"A prayer for the dead?"

She nodded absently.

Compared to the earlier stages of the escape, the next ones went flawlessly, though there was a short delay when they went past the Imperial archives. Due to an unfortunate slip of Yuri's hand, the explode sphere he had been previously been showing to Estelle flew through the window and set the place on fire a few seconds after his companions had rounded the corner.

"Just taking care of some unfinished business," Yuri told Estelle when she stormed back to investigate the noise. She gave him a questioning glance, but decided not to press the issue. He knew that Alexei was going to have a lot of extra paperwork to do in the morning, which suited him well enough. Yuri was absolutely convinced that there was no way these assassins could have made it that far into the castle without some inside help, or without the guards being _this_ sloppy in their patrols. People like Lloyd had died for it.

'_Besides, no one will know it was me. Isn't it far more likely that an invading force of Guild assassins burned down all information regarding the military? With luck, it will put some strain on this alliance," _he figured.

The next part was blowing up part of the castle wall. With very careful movement, excellent scouting from Repede and Estelle's surprising talent for moving stealthily, they reached the edges and blew a hole in it, through which they escaped. As they did, Yuri thought back to Preston and his concerns about him blowing up parts of the castle.

'_If you were so worried about that, why did you give me more explosive spheres than any other type?' _he sarcastically asked an imaginary copy of head servant, at which the old man laughed. For a moment he wondered if the old man was still safe: if assassins had come looking for him, they would have gone by the Lowell family quarters first. He rejected the idea. Preston would be safe. He was far too cunning to be killed or otherwise injured. He had to be.

He was aware that some knights chased them through the makeshift exit, but they had managed to avoid detection time and time again. Everything seemed to be going well, _until_ they reached the lower quarter.

"Quick, this way!" Estelle shouted back as she sprinted into an alley. Yuri and Repede followed suit, which allowed them to get out of the trajectory of a number of oncoming arrows and aer shockwaves. The clashing of metal plates from armors confirmed that the patrol following them was close behind.

Even as they fled further, Estelle mentally kicked herself for allowing them to fall into an obvious ambush. Everything had been too lively upon their arrival in the lower quarter. There had been shards of hushed conversation reaching her ears from multiple directions. She thought it might have been the excitement of the tax collector event from earlier, but that hadn't been the case. The people had been hiding from knights.

Any other day, Estelle would have found the very idea ridiculous, but so many things had happened on this particular one that she had kind of given up on feeling surprised about anything. There really were knights in the lower quarter, possibly even out to get _them_ specifically, as one unnoticed scout on a roof hadn't hesitated a second before calling an alarm.

Now they were doing their best to avoid being cornered by _multiple_ patrols. They would probably have been surrounded much earlier if Estelle hadn't grown up in this neighborhood and hadn't been so familiar with all of its alleys. Even among the inhabitants of the lower quarter, it was likely that very few people knew this area as well as she did. After all, she visited patients everywhere.

"Please be home," Estelle mumbled to herself as she ran. There were too many knights. They had to hide somewhere, both to get out of harm's way and rest. All the battles of the day along with the very short opportunities to rest had taken their toll on her. The swordswoman concluded that Yuri was starting to tire as well, as his movement began to get sluggish. Right now, Estelle could think of only one person in this area which was sure to help her even with knights hunting them down.

They rounded two sharp corners, after which she ducked behind the wall of a partly fallen apart building. Yuri and Repede followed suit. The patrol that had been chasing them ran past, granting them a very welcome temporal reprieve. It probably wouldn't last long, but now they were close. The home she had been going for was on the other side of the street, close yet very far away. If they were spotted on the way there…

"That's where we need to go," she pointed out to Yuri, who nodded. "Count down and run?" he proposed, to which Estelle nodded. She held up three fingers. Two. One.

Yuri glanced over the area nervously as Estelle incessantly knocked on the door. While not more than a few seconds could have passed, he was already half-considering forcing it open. They were dangerously exposed in a street that offered very little cover; if the patrol they had just lost turned around and came back, they couldn't possibly _not_ see them.

Just as he took hold of his tools, the door opened slightly. There was a gasp. "Get inside, quickly!" an elder voice commanded, and Yuri was more than happy to oblige...

… Upon which he was treated with a very unpleasant stare from an elderly woman. He supposed it might have had something to do with the questionable objects he was holding in his hand, and he thought it best to silently put them away.

'_Not a very good first impression,' _he dryly commented to himself.

"It's not very common to see you accompanied by young men, Estelle, especially those who look like they were lurking in an alley, preying upon innocent passers-by," the graying woman said, not bothering to hide her obvious dislike. "Please tell me who this is, why he is with you, and why we should help him hide from the knights outside?"

'_Ouch. Not exactly the friendly trusting type either…'_

"Um… Well…" Estelle began, quickly exchanging a glance with him. She obviously didn't know what to say.

"I'm a mercenary, here to help you to recover the aqua blastia," Yuri quickly lied in what he hoped was a convincing manner. He assumed a cool, reserved stance to back up his claim. At least, that's what Flynn said about mercenaries. The more confident they looked, the more jobs they got.

"A mercenary. Indeed," the woman said slowly. "Tell me then, 'mercenary', what exactly is your 'rate'?" She looked questionably at Estelle. "You must know that Estelle is quite poor, and thus unable to pay much. And while she does have a certain… popularity, she still does not have the authority to speak for all of us."

As the woman stood there, her very posture demanding a satisfying answer, Yuri was inexplicably reminded of Preston; a very angry, highly inquisitive version of Preston. One that hadn't met him yet. In short, Yuri was absolutely convinced that it mattered very little what he said, so long as it was a lie. On the other hand, he couldn't just explain the entire situation to a random stranger; there were too many secrets involved that could lead to widespread panic, with Ioder's capture just one of them.

"I… volunteered to help," he improvised. "Some good friends of mine are from here and I was looking for something useful to do. Business has been slow lately."

"So you are the type of mercenary who does a lot of charity work? I don't believe I have ever heard of those, and I have been around for quite a while," she responded. "Regardless, there are more important things to discuss than who you _really_ are. I'm sure there is a reason Estelle decided to take you with her."

The prince frowned; 'Take him with her'? How did she figure that?

"You lack the scars a mercenary usually has, and your imitation of their faked confidence is far more humorous than credible," she answered, as if guessing the question from his facial expression.

"Yuri, I think we should tell her," Estelle cut in.

"No Estelle: If his name is Yuri and you are wearing a royal guard uniform, I believe I'm better off not knowing." She turned to Yuri. "My name is Gwenn, and I used to be one of the elders of the lower quarter until I chose to stop being one. As you've probably noticed, there are a lot of knights in this part of the lower quarter today. They came looking for Estelle after she had left."

"What? Why? They already had an order of execution on the way…" the younger healer asked.

"It means the knights decided to take matters into their own hands just in case their friends in the government were too slow for their liking," Yuri scoffed.

"That does not surprise me much," said Gwenn. "I don't want to be the bringer of bad news to you again, child, but… someone gave away your address. Not much remains of the clinic."

Estelle froze in shock. "I-But… No…"

Yuri was about to say something comforting, but before he could, shouting form the outside interrupted him.

"They have to be here somewhere, sergeant!"

"Are you sure? The others said this street was deserted…"

" The others didn't have Rufus here tracking their scents. I'm convinced he'd be able to find their exact hiding spot if this place didn't reek so much. There has to be some poorly maintained sewer nearby, or something."

"No kidding; I cant understand how anyone could possibly live here. Search the houses, men!"

"Looks we are out of time," Gwenn remarked.

*Woof…*

_**Author's comments:**_

I'll need to edit in the two remaining scenes when I have time again, or add them in the next chapter. I'm afraid I literally don't have any time left before departuring

Regardless, please tell me what you thought of the chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Brief introduction**: Hey everyone! Again, I'd like to start by thanking everyone for the support the previous chapter received. I realize that it has been an ungodly amount of time since I last updated the story, but I'm afraid I had little choice. When working roughly 50 hours per week (and combining that with a social life), there's just no time for writing 40 hour or so chapters. As a result, what you're about to read has been written slowly, piece-by-piece over a rather long period.

Well, now that we have that out of the way, let's get going In an effort to speed up the story a bit, and because we haven't seen him since chapter 1, this chapter will be focussed on everyone's favourite commander.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia.**

_**Nobility, chapter ten: Duty**_

When he received his orders to come to Halure, he had a feeling that things could be bad. While he was young for a soldier, years of service filled with countless battles, both as an individual soldier and, more recently, as a commander, had provided him with a knack for sensing trouble. It was part of the reason he had been able to do his job so well, even when things were very dire, such as in the last war with the guilds. On one such day, the commander of his squad had been killed, and a forward pincer movement of Guild forces had left his diminished unit trapped behind enemy lines. It had been his first day as an actual commander, and he had managed to get most of them back to safety.

However, upon arriving at Halure, what met him wasn't just bad; it was a nightmare.

Just as the rumours had indicated, the town's barrier had failed, with the results… covering the streets. It looked as if a number of brave civilians had tried to defend the town, judging by the 'weapons' that could be seen next to their remains. Others were found in houses of which the doors looked like they were smashed open by hungry monsters. It was an end Flynn didn't like to think long on.

Even as they had arrived, the monsters were still prowling the streets, most likely smelling potential prey in hiding. After what had seemed like an endless fight, his unit had managed to drive them off, yet not without utterly exhausting itself. It hadn't been in the best shape already, as Flynn had insisted to get there as soon as realistically possibly. This translated to riding the horses to near-exhaustion, switching for new horses in Deidon Hold and then continuing the same pace, resting for a below reasonable amount of time.

It had required keen tactics and formation fighting to drive the numerically superior roaming beasts off, but it _had_ worked. By his own judgement, he couldn't have saved any more civilians.

That didn't mean he was even remotely pleased.

Morning had come, and he was trying his best to use healing artes on some of the wounded civilians. However, he wasn't really focussed on the task. Two questions had burned in his mind ever since the battle; why had the barrier malfunctioned, and, perhaps even more importantly, _where the hell were the reinforcements from Deidon Hold and Aspio?_ Apart from his own unit, there were no proper soldiers in the town, and judging from what the civilians had told him, there had never been any either.

In short, it meant Halure had been left to rot, since there was no way those military garrisons wouldn't have known about this before word had reached him at Zaphias!

He shook his head. No, this wasn't the time to be frustrated and angry. He had to think of a way out of this mess; to determine the best possible course of action. Not that that was easy, since he had twenty tired soldiers to defend a town of roughly a thousand inhabitants against a threat that surrounded them and could strike at any moment. He had a bit of a problem coming up with a brilliant plan to handle the defence. Realistically, they were doomed.

Still, he would do his best for these people. It was his duty as an honorable knight, and the duty of his men, or more accurately, his women. This was also why they followed him; they didn't expect him to do anything less.

His healing arte faltered, and he sighed; he had exhausted his reserves. After apologizing to the old woman he had been treating, he motioned one of the soldiers on guard to take over from him. "Use a gel," he said. "We don't have many, but the healers are busy and if that isn't mended properly, it could get ugly."

She nodded, and he walked outside. It seemed as if the streets had been cleaned reasonably well, and the sounds of mourning the dead had subsides somewhat. Still, the dark and sullen mood that surrounded the village was in stark contrast to its colourful and flowery makeup.

It was only by sheer force of will that he kept himself walking. It was important that the civilians saw the leader of the soldiers here to defend them, and to give them the idea he was some impervious, vigilant hero from the stories.

Gods, he was so tired. It felt like he hadn't slept at all, and that wasn't very far from the truth. Next to that, healing artes took a lot of stamina out of him. While functional, he had to admit that his healing talents were far from optimal. They weren't very strong, and there were very harsh limits to what he could do. Some survivors of the raid yesterday had been injured so severely that they were beyond saving, even for the dedicated healers of the squad. It would take a miracle healer for them to have any sort of chance, such as…

A vision of the past seized him.

"_Estelle, when we grow up, what do you wanna do? I mean, like grown-up jobs."_

He shook his head. He _had_ to stay sharp; what if there was another attack? There was no time or use for reminiscing.

"_Um…Well… I want to be like the moon; shining light on all the poor people lost in the night!"_

Damn it! I'm too tired to focus properly…

"_Haha, that's not a job, you silly! The moon doesn't get paid by anyone. It _does_ sound very noble, though."_

…

"_Well, what about you, Flynny?"_

"_Me? I was thinking about something more down to earth. Like, you know how the knights all look down on us from the lower quarter? I'm going to try really hard to become a REALLY strong knight, and then I'll make them respect us! MaybeI could even change the way we're treated over here."_

"_Change the way…? Ooh! Flynn! Do you think I could become one, too? Maybe you'll need help in getting really strong!"_

"_Eh? Um, well…sure! Why not? I'm sure there are at least a few female knights. But are you sure you're up for that? Being in the knights means you'll have to fight big and scary monsters, or other people like us, and I don't think you're the type to go around hurting… well, anything."_

"_But…um… aren't there jobs in the knights where you don't have to fight?"_

"_A knight that doesn't fight? I-I don't know. I never really thought about it. Maybe there are!"_

"_Yay! I'll try my hardest!"_

"_Haha. What about becoming like the moon?"_

"_I can do both!"_

He shook his head solemnly.

'_No. Don't think about it. Estelle's gone. Even if she had stayed for some reason, she wouldn't have been in my squad, and for that, a number of innocent people are about to die, or at best remain crippled for the rest of their lives,' _his harshly reminded himself.

"Commander?"

The voice of his second in command pulled him from his dark thoughts.

"Sodia," he replied, keeping a steady pace which she adapted.

"Commander, if you need to rest, please do so." Apparently, something must have given away that he wasn't feeling very frisky. "No one would think less of you, especially not since last night, and there are plenty of civilians who would offer you a bed. What would we do if we get attacked by monsters again, and you're too tired to lead us?"

"Then you would take over for me?" he half-joked. "Thanks, but I'm fine enough to be performing my duties. Speaking of duty, did you finish inspecting the town?"

Sodia muttered something under her breath concerning stubbornness, and Flynn had to suppress a grin. He remembered that there was a time when it had been rather hard to talk to her, with every conversation being rather awkward due to either a strange nervousness or order-induced zeal coming from her. Luckily, that had changed over time.

She was actually one of the companions that had been with him the longest, going way back to the unit they had been in during the Guild wars, yet it was only since they had started getting involved with Yuri and his escape attempts that she had started to loosen up a bit. Thinking back on it, he wondered why that was… well, to be fair, he was a lot looser around Yuri, himself. It probably came with his roguish personality rubbing off on people. That, and systematically 'breaking the law' together, in secret.

"I've finished inspecting the full parameter of Halure, and I've done an inventarisation of strategically important structures," she then said, keeping her voice even. "Also, I've heard some rumours concerning how the barrier could have failed."

He nodded approvingly. "Any good news?"

She sighed. "I wish it were so, commander. First, concerning possible entry-points in the city, there are a number of main entrances which are easily accessible to anyone or anything, and then most of the city can be entered from any direction with just a bit of climbing. Even discounting that, the terrain is too open and the houses too spread-out. Without any sort of natural chokepoints, it isn't possible to defend Halure in a normal way; we would have to spread ourselves out dangerously thin."

"Don't say that out loud," he warned softly, glancing over the frightened civilians who were observing them from within their houses. "You said 'in a normal way'," he repeated unnecessarily loud, making sure those who had overheard that would hear. "But that's what brings us to the next point, right?" he went on, more softly. "If there are no chokepoints, we'll have to make our own… by gathering the civilians together in large structures, barricading them, and guarding those from the inside. We could relocate them now that the streets are clear… for the moment."

"Yes, I'd say that between the inn, the town hall, the church and a couple of food-storage houses, we might be able to keep them for a couple of days. It will be… very cramped and uncomfortable, but it should keep them safe," she remarked.

"That will only work for a short while. We can't ask these people to stay inside that long; they've suffered enough. It's highly important that we get the barrier back to work," Flynn mused. "So what were the rumours on the barrier failing?"

"Well, there are only two real things that stood out," she said. "Just before the barrier failed, there were two instances of suspicious individuals moving through Halure. One was a group of a Guild know as the hunting blades. The other…" she hesitated.

"The other?" Flynn nudged her on.

"…was a… um… scantly dressed woman, who for some reason was very interested in finding out how the source of this barrier 'worked'. It was a krityan."

Flynn frowned. "A krityan? Aren't they usually peaceful?"

Sodia shook her head. "Not this one, from the looks of things. She used powers of… um… s-seduction… to… learn what she could, then left in the direction of Aspio. The next day, the barrier failed. That was four days ago."

'_Wait, she's falling back into her habit of stuttering. Why's that?' _Flynn wondered absently, then put it aside. _'Hold on! It was four days ago that the field failed? There's something very strange about that…''_

"Yeah, that DOES sound really suspicious," he agreed, "and if there isn't anything else on those hunting blades, I guess that makes her the prime suspect of sabotage and consequently mass-murder."

Visible over the houses was the tree from which Halure's field drew its power. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to sabotage it, but still… he had nothing else to go on. This person would have to be caught, but he couldn't exactly spare anyone from the defense, either.

"So, commander, apart from relocating the villagers, what should we do?"

"We need to send someone to Deidon Hold to ask for help," he replied immediately. "I have no idea why they didn't send any yet, but they didn't, so the commander there has to be hesitating for some reason. Pick the person you think can be the most persuasive, other than yourself. I need you to stay here."

Sodia was silent for a moment. "All right, I think I know who is the most capable of that. What about Aspio?"

Of course, someone had to go there as well, since apart from the garrison of knights stationed there, it also housed the blastia mages, who were the most likely people to know how to get the barrier back online. He was about to suggest sending someone else, but then, for some reason, he was reminded of Yuri's parting words.

'_Don't worry; I'll get to the bottom of this.'_

Somewhere back home, Yuri was personally finding out why he and his unit kept being sent out on ridiculously dangerous missions. Perhaps it was time he helped on the matter. Part of the truth might be just within arm's reach, and if this turned out to be what he feared it was, namely some sick setup to personally dispose of his unit, leaving Halure was the last thing Cumore, or whoever this enemy was, expected him to do.

"I'm going there personally," he finally said, "Both to catch this saboteur and to get ourselves some additional backup. I'll be back in three days, at most," he promised.

Sodia's eyes widened. "B-but commander! We need you here to lead us!"

He shook his head. "No, you don't. The plan we just discussed is as good as I can make it. The others need someone to remind them how to carry it out, and you can do that just fine. I _need_ to go to Aspio."

"…But why?" It wasn't suspicious or doubt; she just wanted to know. He took a decision.

"Follow me," he whispered. "We need to get to a more secluded location first."

And they did, finding one in a ravaged garden.

"Something really strange has been happening lately," Flynn then said. "We're being sent on dangerous mission after dangerous mission without any time to rest. I've kind of had my suspicions before, but now I'm positive that someone is trying to get rid of us. I mean, just look at the situation; but that isn't all. Why are _we_ the only ones here? Why us, specifically? And now the interesting thing is HOW this news reached US so quickly. The villagers claim that the barrier failed two days ago, and discounting that they're lying, how did that news reach us within two days after the failure of the barrier? Who took it to us? It can't be a villager from here; that's how long it took us, professional knights using well-bred warhorses, to reach this place, with SWAPPING horses along the way!"

"What are you saying, commander?" Sodia asked, alarmed.

"Cumore knew," he explained. "He either knew that this would happen beforehand, or he learned of this much faster than would normally be possible. If it's the first one…"

He let the statement linger in the air.

"Then… he planned it out?" Sodia looked away. "No, that can't be…"

"It makes sense," he countered, his voice null of emotion. "If we die in the line of duty, no one would suspect him. The next guy who comes here, likely Cumore himself, will get to have all the credit for liberating the village." He balled his fists. "If we survive, he gets part of the credit anyway for _ordering us to go_. To him, it would be a win-win situation. And, of course, proving this is impossible as he's corrupt and has _equally_ corrupt friends covering for him," he added out of spite.

* * *

His subordinate didn't reply; she was used to his frequent suspicions concerning corruption in the military, and she highly suspected that there was some sort of reason Flynn _personally_ disliked Cumore, though she was never able to get him to talk about it. His current theory sounded credible, but was even that man really capable of sacrificing so many innocent lives, just to get a bit of credit and a chance to get rid of the commander? It might be jumping to conclusions, and she had her reservations, but couldn't bring herself to voice them. For all she knew, he was completely right. The string of hard assignments didn't really put Cumore in a good light with her, either.

"I need to capture that woman to see what she knows, to see if I'm right," Flynn said after a while. "And I need to do it myself, because I'm not exactly sure which of our fellow knights can be trusted. Plus, if this person can sabotage _that," _–he pointed to the gigantic tree of halure- "I'll have to assume she is highly dangerous."

Sodia agreed hesitantly; it would be a lot harder to defend the village without him, but she supposed she would have to make due. The commander hadn't really chosen the moment _he _had been put in complete command the first time, and she wasn't going to complain either. But there was one thing…

"All right commander," she said, making a salute. "I'll make sure the city is defended while you're gone, but I have two conditions."

"Two… conditions?" he repeated, clearly surprised. Well, to be fair, this was about of as large of a breach of protocol as was possible, she realized. Then again, it was for his own good. Well, _mostly_ his own good, anyway.

She nodded. "One, you're going to get a bit of sleep before you leave. You're not going to let yourself be eaten by a wandering monster that just happens to find you after you fall off of your horse in sleep-deprivation."

The commander relaxed a bit. "Well, I guess I can't refuse that, since I'm being kind of _ordered _to do that," he mused, accentuating the improperness of the situation.

"S-Secondly," she went on, -damn it! Don't stutter- "You're NOT going to allow yourself to be seduced by this woman!"

'_There. I said it with a completely straight face. …Right?'_

Flynn blinked. Then he blinked again. "Um, sure. To be honest, I don't think something between me and a mass-murdering saboteur would work out." He assumed a thoughtful look. "But… why are you so worried about that?"

"T-That's none of your business!" she bit back fiercely, causing him to flinch. "Um, I mean, that's none of your business, _commander,_" she tried more pleasantly.

"Haha, um, ok, well, I guess I'll be going then…" he said awkwardly, starting to walk away. "Don't worry; I'll capture that woman, get to the bottom of this, and convince the guard captain to help us. I'll also bring back a blastia mage to help fix the barrier. It will all work out."

* * *

"What do you mean; I can't spare any men!" Flynn demanded angrily, slamming his fist down on the table in front of him with such force it caused the few soldiers in the table to flinch. Well, all of them except for their fat captain, who was obviously regarding him as some nuisance, come to disturb his perfect lazy and danger-free day of doing nothing. It was clear that this guy hadn't seen any real fight in a long, long while, if he even had real experience.

"Do I need to repeat myself, _sergeant_ Scifo?" he asked lazily. "My only concern is the safety of Aspio, as have been my orders ever since I was assigned this post. The fate of Halure doesn't concern us here, and If you really need backup, you should have gone to Deidon Hold instead. They have a lot more men to spare or so I've-"

"Maybe you don't understand the situation well enough, _captain!_" Flynn cut in, unable to completely control his anger. "There are plenty of casualties already, due to civilians being _eaten_ by monsters. I need to defend a city open on all sides with barely twenty men. YOU have ONE entrance to your city, have a proper GARRISON to do it, and a ton of mages who can ALL use blastia to aid in the defence. HOW can you POSSIBLY say that you can't spare any men!"

The room was silent for a good twenty seconds.

"… I believe there will be a report filled with negative remarks concerning insubordination being sent for Zaphias shortly," the captain finally said, mockingly. "It's a shame, really. I had heard that you were quite capable. Obviously I was misinformed. That will be all, sergeant Scifo. Good day to you," he finished, waving him off.

Flynn, however, had no such intention. "How can you possibly stand by like that!" He shouted, looking across the room at the knights who were present. For some reason, none of them met his gaze. "Why did you join the military at all! Are you really fine with just staying here while innocent civilians die, just because people like _him" _–he pointed towards the captain- "are too lazy to do what's right? You're all forsaking the oath you swore: to defend the empire and its inhabitants!"

"That's enough! Guards, kindly show mister Scifo out of the city!" the captain shouted.

No one moved.

"That won't be necessary," Flynn said, coldly. "I'm leaving _by myself_, with a clear conscience!"

He could feel the stares of everyone present in the room boring into him as he left, but he didn't care. What he had said just now would definitely get him into trouble, but he was tired of bending over backwards, doing as he was told and accepting the state of the military for what it was, or more accurately, that he couldn't do anything yet with his rather low rank. Well, he had done something, but it hadn't helped at all.

As he walked through the cavernous hallways of Aspio, his footsteps echoed all around him. For a moment, he felt just as empty as the corridor he was in. He had no permission to take any blastia mages, as he needed to see the headmaster for that, and in turn that required permission for that from the captain. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen.

In short, he had failed the civilians of Halure on both getting them reinforcements and someone to fix the barrier, and in extension, he had also failed his unit.

'_Were you right, Estelle? Is it really impossible to change anything…?' _

*Bam!*

Flynn immediately shook himself from his thoughts. It seemed as though he had accidentally bumbed into someone, or rather, someone had come running around a corner, straight into him. The girl in question was currently on the floor, clutching her head in pain. On closer inspection, she worse goggles and wore one of the strangest outfits Flynn had ever seen, and it wasn't in the best state. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she had just gotten back from a long journey, probably not completely unlike himself.

"Ou-Ouch! Watch where you're going, you big chunk of metal!" she shouted angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss," he apologized, even though he was rather sure this wasn't his fault. "Are you injured? I know a few healing artes-"

"What? You think healing someone back up will just make it all right? You knights all think you can do whatever you want without any consequences, do you? You all look down on blastia mages like us, don't you!"

"Um, I, That is, no-"

"Hmph, well at least you admit it. Now get out of the way! There are places I have to be, you know. I don't get to stand around lazily like you knights all day!"

'_Wait. Didn't she just say…'_

"Miss, please hold on a moment!" Flynn shouted, barely managing to take hold of her shoulder before she sped off. The glare he received in return could only be described as utterly devastating in a run-for-your-life kind of way.

"Hey, hands OFF, mister! I'm NOT interested in you, and just so you know, the last guy who tried had to be hauled off to the hospital ward with third degree burns! Don't think that I'll care that you're a knight; I'll just burn whoever you send after me as well!" She shouted.

'_Ouch. Talk about a loud person… I think my ears can't take much more of this.'_

"No, please wait! You don't understand! You just said you were a blastia mage, right? I really need the help of a good one, no, I need a genius! It's a life and death matter!" Flynn explained quickly, trying to sound as serious as possible.

"Hmmm… a life and death matter, huh?" the girl said, for the first time speaking in a remotely conversational tone. Flynn sighed in relief. "Well, you obviously have an eye for this sort of thing, as you've come to the great Rita Mordio! You could say I'm a celebrity around here, since NO ONE knows more about blastia than I do, not even the headmaster!" she boasted.

'_I guess I shouldn't remind her that we met by accident… but if she is as good as she says, this could a much needed lucky break!'_ Flynn thought, so he explained everything concerning Halure's field failure to her as quickly as possible.

"Wow… they really didn't want to help you, huh?" Rita said upon hearing the entire thing. She actually hadn't tried interrupting him even once, which sort of surprised him. "I knew the knights were no good, but…"

"Not all of them are bad," Flynn found himself saying, though he was unsure just how true that statement was. "We're trying to hold on, my men, at least, back in Halure. Unless that field gets fixed though, it won't matter in the end."

Rita looked pensive for a few seconds. "For a knight, you don't seem that bad, actually. I can try putting this forward on a blastia mage meeting today. I'm sure some of them will volunteer to look into it, if only because they're curious. Also, most of them really need to get out more and they might consider it a good excuse."

Flynn considered the idea. Coming from a person who seemed rather violent upon a first glance, that was actually a surprisingly sensible suggestion. However, it wasn't good enough.

"Rita, please listen to me," he said, completely serious. "People are going to die. If you're a genius like you say, I need YOU to come with me, personally. You _are _a genius, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" she shouted, temper flaring up again. "Just so you know, I was the one send to Zaphias to repair the aqua blastia just a few days ago! And aside from that, just ask anyone from Aspio! They'll confirm it!"

'_All right, let's hope that's not because they're too afraid to say otherwise,' _he mused. _'I'm not going to have time to check; hanging around here will make the guards throw me out.' _

"Ok then, let's get going! I'll make sure that you're well-compensated for your work," he promised with a smile. _'Provided I'm not fired for my earlier outburst, but I guess Sodia can handle it then…' _

Shockingly, Rita actually seemed _hesitant and subdued_ for a moment. "Oh… I um, I can't. I'm sorry; there's something really important I'm working on. I can't leave that alone; not even to check why that field malfunctioned."

Even without pondering it too much, Flynn knew something was really off. "What? But… if you're a genius, wouldn't you want to prove that by fixing the field? Think of the fame you'll get for it!"

"Hey! I'm already helping you by passing the problem along for you. Be thankful for what you get!" she countered, anger returning to her voice.

Flynn froze. He knew he had to act _very_ carefully. From what he knew, he would NEED to find a way to get Rita to come with him right away. It was the only way to save as many people as possible. However, if he kept pushing the wrong way, chances were that she wouldn't even pass the problem to the other mages for him. How could het get her to agree? He had already promised money, and the fame didn't seem to work either. Truthfully, he was at a loss.

'_How would Yuri handle this?' _he asked himself, thinking of the most potentially persuasive person he knew. _'Well, that's easy… he would find some way to force her to do it, such as blackmail. I don't think even he could do it, though, as he would have just met her. What could he possibly have used against her?_

He glanced her over again. With the way she was balling her fists at him, he actually got a bit of a better look at her clothes. They seemed highly mismatched and were partly obscured by some kind of travelling cloak, which she had held around her tightly up until now. Oh hell, why was he looking for something that he obviously wasn't going to find?

That's when he saw it.

"There's a bloodstain on your clothes," he said.

Rita, who had been in the middle of a tirade concerning ungreatfulness, suddenly stopped talking. There was a flash of fear in her eyes; he was on the right track!

"Wha-what are you-" she said, but was cut off. Flynn, deciding to take advantage of the confusion, had quickly pulled her cloak aside to get a better look. She immediately pulled back, but it was too late.

"No, it's not just any bloodstain. It's pretty large, and you've tried to wash it out rather poorly," he continued. "Not only that, but the fabric of your outfit has been cut in the center of it. You were stabbed recently!"

"S-So what? I've fought bandits before! There were a few of them on the way back from Zaphias, so I torched them! They thought they could have their way with a girl, well, they know better now, if they lived!" she countered. If there was any proof he had needed, it was her nervousness combined with her overly defensive reaction.

"I'm sorry, but that can't be true," Flynn stated matter-of-factly.

Rita's eyes widened. "What! Why?"

He sighed. "Rita, please. I'm a knight. I can't say I've ever been stabbed in the _stomach_, as you've obviously been, but I've seen others. I've heard what it's like. Even the toughest men crumble down immediately from the pain; they say it is mind numbing, as well as intensely burning, if you somehow stay conscious. If you've eaten beforehand, it's even an unavoidable slow and painful death," he explained.

"If bandits had attacked you," he went on, starting to piece things together, "and one of them managed to stab you like that, you wouldn't be here. In fact, how _did_ you manage to get here? The only thing I can think of is that someone stabbed you, then healed you back up for whatever reason, or that they left you there wounded, but then they would have taken your belongings first, including medicine, yet here you are. So that brings up another question: Why are you lying to me?"

Rita froze. "I-I-That's not…!"

"My business? I'm sorry, but I don't buy it," Flynn pressed, glancing around to make sure they were alone before continuing. "Everything illegal that happens in Zaphias is my business, and you say you were there recently to fix an aqua blastia? One look at your outfit tells me you've been travelling rather heavily these last few days, just as my unit. Is it normal for a blastia mage to have to travel that quickly? And why didn't you wash out that blood completely? It all points towards you having come here in quite a hurry. So then, please explain to me how this all fits together?"

There was a long moment of silence. Rita looked anywhere but at him; she was obviously caught. Flynn steeled himself for what he was about to do, hating that he had been forced to step down to this level just to do his job normally.

"Something tells me I don't want to know, and that you don't want _anyone else_ to know," he said, glancing around again. They were still alone… perhaps there were classes or whatever in session at this time? "So I'll make you an offer. Come with me and help us, and I won't tell anyone about my suspicions."

No matter what Rita had done, there were a lot of lives depending on her immediate help.

"Wh-what I said earlier, about you not being as bad as other knights, I take that back!" she said, suppressing a sob. "You're just as bad as the rest of them!"

"Rita… I'm sorry," he said, in what he hoped was a consoling tone. "But there are a thousand people who's safety depends on that barrier. If what you're saying about yourself is true, you're our best hope. What do you expect me to do? If it makes you feel better, I _hate_ that I couldn't get anyone to help me without resorting to his."

"I… I need to change first. I'll meet you outside in an hour, Scifo. Don't think that I'll be waiting on you if you're late!" she said having composed herself somewhat, then she turned around to leave.

"Wait, Rita, can I ask you something else?" Flynn inquired, remembering something important.

"Make it quick," she threatened. "This counts for your time!"

"If someone… wanted to destroy or sabotage blastia… where in Aspio would that person go to for information? Are there any books on the workings of them?"

"Thousands, you idiot!" she huffed. "But I guess you're in luck, since the more important ones are bound to the library. It's forbidden to take them along. And no, I'm not going to tell you where it is, because you'd have to be blind to miss it! By the way, you're not telling me YOU are planning to destroy them, are you? Because then, I'd take my chances and try to kill you instead!"

For some reason, Flynn found that threat to be very credible.

* * *

'_So this is the library…' _Flynn thought, seeing an enormous hall filled which rows upon rows of massive bookcases, tables meant for reading, maps and tons of other trivia somehow connected to knowledge. The size of it was awe-inspiring; even the imperial archives had nothing on this, and in his mind, those were already huge.

'_Where do I even begin to look?' _he wondered. _'Well, that looks like an information desk. I could always try asking outright, though there's probably no way that would work…'_

"Um, excuse me, madam," he asked the elder woman behind the counter. "Have you seen any… scantly dressed woman around here? I'm searching for-"

"Young man, this is a respectable library," the woman said without looking up from her scribbling. "If you are seeking books or company of a 'less respectable' nature, perhaps you should try mister Light's 'store' in another district of the town."

Flynn sweatdropped.

"Um, no, you don't understand, madam! I'm a soldier on an official investigation, and I'm searching for a krityan-"

The woman suddenly looked up at him. "Oh, did the guards FINALLY decide to listen to my request? I had appealed them to remove that _dreadful_ woman from this place a number of times over for 'indecent exposure', if you understand what I mean. I'm glad that we'll be able to continue studying without her distracting everyone."

Flynn's heart skipped a beat. Was he actually still going to succeed in capturing their saboteur? "Ah, yes madam, the captain requested that I handled this personally, with the utmost haste," he improvised, silently thankful that she didn't distinguish his attire from that of the guards here in Aspio. "Please direct me to this troublesome individual."

The woman sighed. "You'll find that it's a bit hard to miss her, but if you continue past these four bookcases, then go…"

It turned out that it was indeed very hard to miss her, Flynn realized upon laying eyes upon his suspect for the first time. Standing at the end of an aisle in a more crowded are of the library, was a krityan the likes of which he had never met before. She was dressed in a blue-white attire that left a _very_ generous part of her skin unexposed, along with accentuating her form nearly perfectly. But despite her beautiful yet at the same time arguably scandalous outfit, she radiated some sort of almost regal-like calmth as she studied some sort of book. Just about every single men in the vicinity –which were quite an unnatural number, now that he thought about it- was constantly throwing her looks, but she was either unaware, or wasn't bothered at all. He was inclined to believe the latter.

'_Well, here goes then…' _

As he approached, he felt himself growing inexplicably nervous. Was it because of what he was maybe close to uncovering? _'Need to keep it together,' _he thought to himself. The closer he drew to her, the more of the stares of the viewers shifted to him. By the time he reached her, no one was pretending to study anymore.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said.

She didn't respond.

He coughed.

Slowly, she shifted her gaze from the book she was studying, meeting his gaze. Suprisingly human eyes watched him silently, curiously, asking him for some kind of explanation. He was about to say what this was about, but found that he couldn't. In fact, he wasn't sure what he was doing there at the moment, only that he was supposed to say something, and that it took him way too long to do it.

"I… came here to…" his thoughts failed him again.

The krityan tilted her head slightly to the side. "You came here, too? Well… I can see that you did," she said, not at all unkindly, and maybe a little confused. "Is there something you wanted to discuss in particular, officer?"

He was faintly aware of some snickering going on behind him. Well, he supposed he couldn't blame them…

"_You will NOT allow yourself to be seduced by this woman!" _someone's voice cut across his thoughts. Sodia… that's right! He was here to arrest this woman for crimes against humanity!

"My name is Flynn Scifo," he began, regaining his stability word by word. "By the rights bestowed upon me by my service in the imperial military, I hereby place you under arrest for the suspicion of sabotaging the defensive field of Halure, causing manslaughter!"

The snickering immediately stopped. An awkward silence fell over the room. No one seemed to be able to move.

"Dude, _what_ has that guy been _smoking_?" Someone behind him finally asked, and the snickering continued, upon where it turned into laughter. Flynn ignored it.

The krityan, however, didn't join in the laughter. She just looked at him, and he thought she was surprised. He believed that he was rather good at reading emotions, but he was also trying hard not to stare at her face too much.

"Really?" she finally asked. "Did Halure's barrier fail?" For a fleeting moment, he thought she actually sounded concerned. But there was no way that could be-

"Don't pretend like you don't know," Flynn warned. "You were seen in Halure the day before it failed, showing unusual interest in the tree generating the field. We have clear reason to suspect you."

"Oh? And you're really sure that was me? There ARE other krityans in the world, you know," she asked, smiling mischievously. Wait, mischievously? Was she somehow having fun in all this?

"Of course I'm sure!" Flynn replied. "First, I… Um… had a physical description…" he tried his very hardest not to blush. "Then, you were seen heading off in the direction of Aspio, and now I find you here, reading on blastia, probably with the intent to learn how to destroy them more efficiently!" he concluded triumphantly, pointing at the book in her hand.

The krityan in front of him just kept smiling pleasantly; she was obviously highly amused by something. Even before she answered, a feeling of dread snuck up on Flynn. "Well, I suppose I did learn much from this, in that regard," she said, indicating the same book. "After all, knowing the recipe and correct way to _prepare croquettes_ is sure to help me 'destroy blastia' better, wouldn't you agree?"

Flynn sweatdropped, again. "I-it's a cook book?" he asked lamely, upon which she showed him the contents of the page. Sure enough, a pair of croquettes was staring at him defiantly.

'_Oops.'_

The laughing grew louder.

"Ne-nevertheless, that doesn't mean you haven't been studying up on them at a different time! And you're still the only krityan I've seen who meets the other two criteria," Flynn countered, recomposing himself. In fact, this woman's demeanor was started to really annoy him; a lot of people had died, quite possibly because of her, and she was… er… well… making things difficult for him, and turning it into a laughing matter! She _had_ to be the person the townsfolk talked about! "As such, I'm afraid I'll still have to take you in for questioning!"

Upon which he started leading her away by the shoulder.

"Hey! You leave Judy alone, Man!" a voice from nearby immediately commented.

"You said it!"

"Yeah! She's obviously innocent! What kind of corrupt knight are you!" To this, he sought out the voice and threw out a devastating look. The teenaged student cringed back in his chair, much to Flynn's pleasure.

Yet again, the woman herself was unfazed, still seemingly amused. There weren't many things that made him feel uncomfortable, but that constant, unfaltering smile she was giving him… "My my, we only just met and you're already getting physical. Tell me, are you always _this_ forward with things, mister Scifo?" she teased.

As if it had grown a will of its own, Flynn's hand shot away from her. He was quite sure that by now, he was beet-red. "Please… please don't make this any harder for me than it already is…" he asked her in exasperation, finding the entire ordeal very mentally tiring.

To this, she surprised him by actually laughing softly. It was actually a very pleasant sound amidst all the boo-yellings that were being thrown his way. He supposed Rita hadn't been kidding when she said that some blastia mages needed to get out more. "Haha… all right then, mister Scifo; I'll come quietly."

Luckily, she was true to her word, and Flynn eventually managed to leave the library with her without being embarrassed further. He silently promised himself that he would never visit it ever again.

"I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet, mister Scifo," she said when they had cleared the area. "I'm Judith. It's a pleasure to meet you," she continued, after which she extended her hand.

Flynn blinked; he was just about to give up completely on trying to understand this woman. "Tell me something… why are you so... um… amused and polite? I just placed you under arrest… under very grave charges?"

She nodded. "So you did."

Flynn opened his mouth, then closed it again. Judith tilted her head slightly to the side, watching him expectedly.

"I… you know what, forget it," he finally said, deciding to drop the issue before his sanity snapped. He didn't shake her hand, as it was inappropriate for a captor and a prisoner to exchange such an informal gesture. Then there was also the chance that this was some kind of trick to escape, though he couldn't see how. And finally, watching at her arm, and in extension, her chest area, tempted his eyes to wander about too much. He was supposed to treat a prisoner with as much respect as he could muster.

"Well then, lead the way, mister Scifo," she replied after a moment, pulling her hand back.

"Excuse me?" he replied, not catching up quite yet.

"To the barracks, I suppose? If you want to question me, we should be going there, right? I heard that all suspects are usually brought to a military headquarters first."

Flynn froze. He hadn't actually considered that yet. There was no way he was going to the imperial barracks after having pissed off the captain so much, and not going there would make her suspicious. If she called out to any guards along the way, they could force him to release her (and since he wasn't so popular here, they probably would just to spite him), and then she'd be home free.

"Or is there _some reason_ we can't go there, specifically?" she continued, and from the knowing smile on her face-

"How could you know that?" he automatically asked, immediately regretting that he was giving himself away completely.

"The guards here are very talkative," she explained, surprising him yet again by the sudden absence of her amused tone. "There were rumors about someone coming here from Halure, who was seeking help. I've been here for a few days now, and I… don't think it's very likely that you got any. Since you seem to be a rather serious person, I can only guess that you and the captain here had a large fight because of it. You're not popular with him now, are you?"

For the first few seconds, Flynn could only stare. "I see… That's actually the first thing I've heard you say or do that makes sense to me," he admitted. This woman was actually really insightful, something he wouldn't have admitted by her appearance. Maybe it was a ruse to give people the wrong impression intentionally? "But if you figured that out, you could also have just called a guard on me right away. Why didn't you?"

"First, because it was fun to see you so flustered," she replied bluntly.

Flynn could have punched himself.

"Secondly, because I wanted to ask you something, in private."

"_You _wanted to ask _me_ something?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "Like what? No, wait, what makes you think I would answer something? You're still the main suspect in the sabotage, even if I can't arrest you properly!" Again, he had to suppress a feeling of powerlessness.

She was silent for a moment, and looked away. Was what she thinking about…?

"You wanted to ask me questions regarding Halure," she said, apparently having reached some conclusion. "I'll answer one of your questions if you answer mine."

'_One question… well, since I don't have any other options, it's better than nothing, I guess…'_

"And you would answer truthfully?" he asked, obviously suspicious.

"Would you?" Judith countered evenly.

He nodded. "As long as it didn't interfere with my duty to the empire."

"All right then," she said. "_Why_ didn't the knights send _ample_ help to Halure when the barrier failed?"

He blinked. "Why on Terca Lumines would you want to know that?"

"Now now, If I told you, I'd already have answered one of your questions. Are you sure_ that's_ the one you want an answer to?" she asked teasingly, then turned serious again, waiting on his answer.

"Ok… well.. I guess it isn't a large secret," Flynn confided. "Just now, you said you didn't expect that I got any help from the soldiers here. Well, you were right. But I don't think Aspio is the only place where this is happening. For instance, for the news of Halure to reach me, it would have to go _through_ Deidon Hold, but they didn't lift a finger, either. For all I know, things like this, where commanders are sitting happily in a safe cave while people are either dying or being taken advantage of, could be happening everywhere. There's a reason the knights aren't so popular in general… but in this case, I think someone sent me there with far too few men to make sure I didn't make it out alive."

He met her eyes directly. "That's as truthful as I can answer."

The krityan stared at him for a while, digesting his answer. "All right… I believe you. Now what do _you _want to know, sergeant Flynn?"

''_Flynn'? Since when did I go from mister Scifo to being sergeant Flynn? No, never mind. What should I ask her? I can't just ask her 'did you do it?'; that's too easy to lie about and it doesn't give us much information. No, what I should be asking is…'_

"Why would anyone sabotage Halure's field, or potent blastia in general?"

"Hmmm, for Halure, I think it's more of a 'process' at work, rather than a 'person', as I don't think a tree that large can be harmed very easily. For blastia in general, you need to realize that there are multiple types of blastia, some of which a good-natured person would _want _to destroy; it's just that most lack the knowledge to understand that. Did you ever consider that there might be side-effects or risks related to using, or even the existence of blastia?"

'_A process…? So it wasn't her…?' _

"I… no, not really," Flynn replied, pondering the words. "Are there?" he asked, genuinely curious. This wasn't something he'd ever really heard about before. For him, as a soldier, blastia were beyond useful tools to have in a fight, knowing how to use one was important, and that was all he'd ever been concerned with.

Yet, all that met him was that annoying smile. "No, I think I've already answered your question, right? Actually, I think I might have said too much, even," she finished, actually looking as if she meant it.

"Maybe, but I don't understand it at all," he countered. "Are you being intentionally vague? And why do you know so much about blastia, anyway? You don't look like you're a scholar, or a blastia mage."

"Maybe that's something for another time, If I ever feel like I need to ask you something again. It wouldn't be very fun if we told each other all our secrets right away, wouldn't it?"

Flynn sighed. Again. "If what you just told me was true, and there is some sort of danger, then that would give you a motive to destroy the source of Halure's barrier, along with blastia in general. But for now, I'll give you the benefit of doubt."

Judith didn't reply.

"I need to know something, though. This isn't for me personally: It's for the innocent people trapped in a field of bloodthirsty monsters. _Is there a way to fix that tree?_ Please answer me in a way that's useful to them!"

The woman shook her head solemnly. "I'm sorry; if it failed, I think the tree is either dying or already dead. You'd need a miracle… Good luck, sergeant Flynn."

And then she walked away.

* * *

Halure stretched out in front of him. Or at least, he thought it did. If it was, its vague outlines were veiled in the night. If It wasn't, his imagination was playing tricks on him. Inwardly, he smiled at the irony. If it was there, it was so close…

'…_But I'll never be able to reach it,'_ he solemnly realized.

Just as the thought had finished forming, he blocked another incoming claw with his shield, then spun around to cut the monster in the neck, or what passed for a neck with the thing, in passing. He barely had time to register the next incoming hog-like beast, and clumsily threw himself to the side, all the while sending a demon fang at it. It probably managed to kill him, but there was no time to celebrate. Even before he had managed to stand himself up straight again, something rammed him in the back with such force that it sent him skidding over the grass.

While his plate mail offered ample protection, there was only so much his body could take, and with him being completely surrounded, there was no time whatsoever to try healing. It was a battle of endurance against what seemed like an endless swarm of monsters, and no matter how many he killed, they just wouldn't give up!

Banishing panic from his mind, he unsteadily stood up and fell back into his fighting stance. They were everywhere, waiting, not coming all at once. It was almost as if they had _collectively_ decided to _gradually _wear him down, but continuously attacking from multiple directions.

'_Almost as if they have one consciousness…'_

The thought, one he would have normally dismissed, was frightening.

Just as another one such attack came, he started a series of artes that ended with him shooting a fireball from midair at the last remaining one, felling three more of them in total. But again, there was no time to rest. There was another attack, and there would be another one afterwards, and another one…

And each time he used an arte, it drained him a little more. He felt his vision grow hazy, and his hair drenched with sweat. Or was it blood? There was no time to check.

The next attack came, and something cut him from the side. Reflexively he swung towards the attacker, but the mantis-like thing blocked it with its claw. Just as it was about to strike him again, Flynn decided to throw caution to the winds. "You want a real fight *gasp* … you'll… get it… Overlimit!"

The monsters maznaged to cut him, but in this state, he didn't feel anything, just cleaving the monsters torse from its lower body with one swing. The draining sensation was imminent; when this ended, he was toast, or rather, dinner. He decided to make the most of his time by charging right into the waiting ring…

'_I wonder if Rita managed to get back safely. Maybe I did manage to draw all those advancing monsters to me… if that's the case, Sodia will know what happened, and she'll at least have a mage to check the barrier. Maybe I'm not going to die in vain…_

_DAMN it! If only that horse from Aspio could have ran faster! We could have reached halure before night! I know we could have!'_

As he felt the end of his reserve near, one massive bull-like creature emerged from the crowd, and the others seemed to back away. Was it a leader of some kind, come to claim it's kill? Well, Flynn had one final trick up his sleeve… and the bigger his target was, the better.

"Come on then! What *gasp* are you waiting for!" he yelled, getting ready.

The ground shook as it charged him, and he felt faint, finding himself having difficulty just to stay balanced. How long? Five more seconds? He channelled what was left of his power into his sword. Three seconds? He moved the blade into position. Two seconds? The shaking ground threw him out of position. He tried to compensate. One second?

"LIGHT DRAGON DESTRUCTION!"

*BAM*

White light consumed the world, but he was aware that something had hit him from the front, VERY hardly. He was flying backwards, but for some reason, it didn't hurt. He didn't even feel anything.

He landed on his chest, facing the monster he had just attacked. Even in the moonlight, he could see glistering spots all over its front. It howled in pain, but was still moving. He nodded to himself; he had managed to wound it badly, but not enough. Even if he had, some other monster would have finished the job. This was actually it; the definitive end.

It charged him. He tried to move, but couldn't. For some reason, he was paralysed, whether from exhaustion or injuries, he didn't know.

Realizing these were his last few seconds, he wondered if he had any regrets. _'I'm not going to be able to keep some promises… but I only have one regret. One isn't bad, right? I did what I could… always. I'd make the same choices all over again, apart from that one…"_

The ground was shaking violently, and from this close up, Flynn could actually see the extend of the damage on the monster. There was blood all over it, with lines of deep cuts extending all over its front.

He smiled, then closed his eyes.

"-erlimit!"

Nothing happened for a couple of seconds…but he was still… alive?

'_What…?'_

With the greatest effort, he forced himself to watch. One hazy figure stood before him, clearly visible by the Aer that person was channelling. The huge beast in front of him was… staggering?

"And another one…" the figure said. "Azure strike!" It yelled, after which it rammed a… white fist into the creatur's face. It stopped moving. Flynn's heart skipped a beat. Was this real?

"So there… are!" The figure said, turning his way. "… been looking … over for you! You know, I know I… you to go save the world, but trying to take on all of this by… might be… Can't say I don't give you points for style, though; this place looks like a graveyard! How many…"

'_That voice… that means this isn't real,' _he realized in sadness. He had either died, or he had taken such a heavy blow to the head that he was hallucinating.

"Yuri… I'm sorry that I'm not going to be able to *cough* get back to you," he croaked. "You'll have to… find someone else to teach you… your highness."

"No, I think you're wrong about that," Yuri said, this time surprisingly clearly. He had kneeled next to him, he realized, as he couldn't see him anyone. "You're not going to die yet, because we won't let you."

*Woof!*

Something licked him in the face. It was very real and very wet.

"Repede…?" he asked. "No… but then… Yuri, you need to run! Too dangerous…"

"Dangerous? But I've just put myself in the presence of the great Flynn Scifo!" his friend's voice countered, obviously sarcastic. "What place could _possibly_ be safer?"

"Monsters… all around us… carefull…"

"Yuri! What were you thinking? Why did you run off by yourself? And what about that, just now? You would have died if that hadn't worked!" A female voice shouted from nearby. There was something familiar about it, but Flynn just couldn't grasp it. Then again, he couldn't grasp the situation either. Maybe he _had _gone insane?

"Well, it _did _work, didn't it? You've taught me well! Although, I think I might have broken my wrist again…" he said, upon which the sound of a slap reverberated throughout the air.

Yeah, Flynn decided that he was clearly losing it. There was no way anyone in their right mind would slap his royal highness in the face, no matter what he said.

"How do you expect me to keep you safe if you keep intentionally putting yourself in danger, and keep harming yourself in a normal fight, for that matter! You're not experienced enough to try those kinds of Artes!" the woman chided.

'_Right?'_

"Well, sorry for trying to be right on time instead of a few seconds late…"

"Um… people… monsters…" Flynn muttered weakly.

*Growl*

"Y-Yuri! There are so many of them! Maybe we should-"

Flynn blinked. Was that a really young boy? What was one of those doing here?

"No, Karol! Are you a hunting blade, or what? We'll show them how it's done! Come on! You're not going to let that knight end with a higher kill count than you, are you?" a young… girl commanded him?

"N-Nan! Wait!"

"Commander!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, Sodia, maybe you should check on Flynn's health. He doesn't look too good…" Yuri pondered. "Well, I guess I should be helping the children, then."

"Y-Yuri! Wait! I'm not done with healing-"

Someone grabbed him, and his field of vision shifted to only Sodia's form against a star-filled sky. It was still blurry, but he could recognize her basic features. "Are you all… really here? For me?" he asked her.

"Y-yes," she said, though her voice was uneven. "Drink this."

She must have spilled something, as he could feel some of the gel like substance falling on his face as he did. There was probably a leak in the pack…

Within seconds, his sense of pain returned, and he had to fight very hard not to scream. Then, his vision started clearing slowly, but before it did, he could feel himself falling away; he was just too tired to stay awake.

The last thing he noticed was a strange white light right above him, and then he slipped into unconsciousness. If Yuri, Sodia and… whoever where here, he had a feeling things would be fine.

**Author's notes**

This chapter was, overall, quite easy to write. I guess inspiration kind of hit me on it, and not having to bother on tons of detail helped a bit, too.

I forgot to include it in the first version of the author's comments, but as you can probably guess, the gist of the next chapter will be flashbacks to Yuri's and/or Estelle's side of the story.

For the halure scene, I tried to imagine what things would actually be like if the barrier failed in the world of Terca Lumines. Those wolf-like monsters you see during the introduction look pretty vicious, and I could totally see them being attracted to a town full of defenceless snacks.

For the scene with Rita, I wasn't originally planning on that at all, but it just kind of wrote itself, and I personally thought that Flynn's way of exposing her was kind of cool.

The Flynn/Judith scene was actually one of the earlier ones I had thought of for this fic, although I had originally thought of Flynn actually fighting Judith and ba'ul outside of the city and then losing. However, as I wrote the scene further I had so much fun in torturing poor Flynn that I felt obliged to give him a bit of a reward at the end, which also gave the scene significance for something other than comic relief. I kind of wonder how people find my portrayal of Judy; for some reason, I kept thinking I was missing her completely...

Well, I'd like to ask anyone to please review, to point out to me what was liked/unliked and what was in contradiction to the facts. It's been quite a while since I played ToV, and while I think I rechecked everything, I might have missed something. Please?

-Kind regards,

Dieuwtjin


	11. Loyalty

**Brief introduction: **

I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter for their continued support, despite the slow updates of the story. With my internships having started, time to write is very sparse. That doesn't mean I'm not trying though, as what you're about to receive is a _double _update, written in the first week of actual vacation I've had in forever. It's my 'thank you' to all my readers, and I think that now would be a good time for me to stop babbling and get onto the actual chapters.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Tales of Vesperia.

**_Nobility, chapter 11: Loyalty._**

The moment Flynn regained consciousness, he instinctively tried to grab for his sword. For all he knew, the battle was still going on around him; his senses _had_ dulled with the severity of the wounds he had sustained. It was soon clear that this wasn't the case though, as he felt that he wasn't wearing his armor, and if he didn't know any better, he'd even say that he was lying in an extremely comfortable bed.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, flinching slightly by the intensity of the light. Dawn had already come, it seemed…

He quickly inspected himself for any injuries, and found that he was fine. It surprised him, since he knew he he had been beaten up pretty badly yesterday. Was that gel, or potion, or whatever Sodia had given him_ this_ powerful? Upon trying to move, he got his answer, as every single muscle in his body screamed in protest.

'_GAH! Strong medicine maybe, but it can't take care of muscle straining...' _

Ignoring his aching body, he stood up and glanced outside the window. There were a few villagers walking about, but they did so hastily. A quick inspection revealed that the field was still down, which drew out a resigned sigh. Apparently, Rita hadn't managed to fix the barrier.

'_Or she died before she got here. Was she there yesterday? I can't remember… No, let's hope she just wasn't able to do it,' _he shook his head. _'Wait, if I'm still alive and I'm really at Halure, then that means… Yuri is here as well? What on Terca Lumines was he doing here? And had he really fought in the thick of an actual battle, yesterday? He had never had sufficient training other than their sparring matches… had he really stopped that huge monster? And who were those other strangers with him?' _

Deciding that he really needed answers, he glanced over the room to find the rest of his attire…

…And found that he wasn't the only one in the room.

Slumped over the table, still wearing her armor and looking like a mess, was Sodia. She was obviously sleeping.

'_Huh? What's she doing here? I can't imagine that she couldn't have gotten a room for herself. I guess she must have been so exhausted that she fell asleep on the spot? Maybe the battle yesterday was a lot closer than we'd have liked, in the end…"_

Next to being surprised at Sodia's presence, he was also surprised to find his armor cleaned reasonably well. With all the madness that seemed to be happening now, he was glad that someone had had the foresight to clean his gear. It would mean that his mobility wouldn't be hindered if he had to fight today, and at the very least he could go around town without people being repulsed or demoralized by his outfit.

'_It's still not really the best attire for meeting with a prince, but practicality comes first,' _he thought, dressing up quietly as to not wake Sodia._ 'There's no way I'm not wearing this when we could get attacked again at any moment.'_

Just as he was about to leave, he looked over his second-in-command again. He knew that resting in armor was highly uncomfortable, but there wasn't much he could do about that. However, he_ could_ move her onto a bed, at least, and so he did, again taking care not to wake her up.

As he laid her in bed, he got a good look at her features; she really _was _a mess. Streaks of dried blood were visible in her normally well-done, yet now thoroughly messed-up hairdo. Guilt rose up inside him, knowing that the only reason she, and everyone else who had come for him yesterday, had only been injured because of his inability to make it back safely.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly, looking away. "I guess I tried a little too hard to get back here as soon as possible. You're probably going to scold me when you wake up, huh?" he added sheepishly.

In turn, Sodia didn't reply, but did snuggle a bit into the blankets. For some reason this made him feel rather uncomfortable, and he quietly backed away; first a few steps, then out of the room.

"Right, now where to find Yuri?" he asked himself, still facing the door.

"Oh, so you really are awake?"

*GAH*

'_Speak of the devil…!'_

*Pant*

"Hey now, don't tell me you're that surprised to see me here, sergeant Flynn. Not after last night, at least," Yuri spoke from just 3 feet to Flynn's right.

"Actually, I am, _Your Highness_," Flynn responded, all the while recomposing himself. "What _are_ you doing here? And now that we're on the subject, why are you standing here right outside my room? You weren't waiting this entire time until I woke up… right? That would be pretty creepy." Though he was glad to see his friend (and despite the strange mixture of civilian clothes and leather armor his friend was wearing, there was no mistaking that grin or overall demeanor), he was still stupefied over his presence.

"Hah! As if I'd wait for you to wake from your beauty sleep. For a supposedly ever-vigilant knight, you sure take your time resting, and for the record, you're quite loud at it as well. Your snoring kept all of us up," Yuri scoffed playfully. "Actually, Repede heard you get out of bed; my room is next to yours," his friend continued in a slightly more yet not even remotely serious tone. "You've probably figured that we're at the inn, and that 'we' had to drag your unconscious shiny metal rear to here. I feel kind of bad for Sodia, to be honest; you never seem to notice-"

"Oh, sure, _please _go on with the high and mighty act, _your highness_," Flynn countered evenly. "Something tells me you didn't fare nearly as well yesterday as you'd make it seem. Maybe it's the sling holding your arm in a fixed position? So exactly _how much_ backup were you forced to bring along to make sure your delicate noble rear got out 'relatively' unharmed? I'm guessing it's in the hundreds."

"Actually, it was just a healer from the slums," Yuri answered without missing a beat, "But I decided to do some recruiting on the way and ended up with an extra two young teenagers and an eggbear hatchling."

The two locked gazes for a while and eventually Flynn couldn't contain his laughter any longer. That was by far one of the most absurd statements Yuri had ever made, and that meant something by itself. At first, Yuri smiled at the reaction he got, but then his face faded into seriousness, or at least what Flynn figured to be seriousness. When it came to Yuri, everything always seemed to be covered in a thick layer of playfulness and/or roguishness.

"Anyway, It's good to see you, Yuri," Flynn admitted, forcing his mirth under control and shaking his friend's hand on the uninjured arm. "But all the jokes aside, what made you decide to come here with the royal guard? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I'm pretty surprised."

"The royal guard? Weren't you listening just now? I'm here with a healer from the slums, two children and an eggbear hatchling. That wasn't a joke," said the prince, looking away.

Flynn opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. That couldn't be true, right? Or maybe he had lost part of his sanity yesterday with his injuries? Brain damage was far more likely than meeting one of the two heirs to the throne in the middle of nowhere, without anyone guarding him, right? "B-but, why on earth would you be here without people to look after you! After all the disappearances of your relatives in the last decade, don't tell me you decided to take a stroll into dangerous territory on your own?"

"It's a bit of a complicated issue," Yuri said, somehow managing to make it sound even more vague than the actual meaning of the words. "Look, we need to talk. There are a lot of things you need to know, and there are some things I'd like to ask you as well. For now though, it's important that we talk before-"

"Yuri? Is that you talking up there?" The sudden interruption was accompanied by the sounds of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. Flynn froze. That voice! It was the voice of the guard with Yuri last night! There was something _so _familiar about it…

"Too late…" he heard Yuri mutter under his breath.

From the stairway, the figure of a young woman came into view, wearing the distinctive royal guard outfit and an accompanying suit of armor. She had brown hair, a slim figure, and would be considered pretty by just about anyone's standards. Strangely, although Flynn had met quite a few royal guards in Yuri's company over the last three years, he had never seen this one. But wait- hadn't Yuri said that there were none of those with him? So what was she doing here?

"Yuri, I _told_ you to take a rest!" the woman said in frustration, after which she let out an exasperated sigh. "After you tried that arte yesterday, your arm needs _at least_ a full day of rest before I can work on it again! Why do you keep moving around the village? What if you're attacked? You won't even be able to defend yourself properly! But more importantly, can't you understand that I can't keep you safe if-"

Her voice stopped as green eyes met his, and the disappointed frustration the woman had held for Yuri turned into something cold: Hate. It was pure and simple. Nothing was said, but he could see it etched in her face. And then he knew. The hair was painted brown, and the attire was that of a soldier, but it had to be her. He knew those eyes, and he knew that look; it had a special place in his memory, as he was probably the first one to have ever received it from her.

"…in my room, and I came here to greet my friend. Someone had to tell him what was going on, right? It could have been you, but I wanted to make sure you didn't, like, kill him on the spot," he heard Yuri rebut in a semi-embarrassed way. Normally he'd have found it strange to catch Yuri acting like that to anyone other than the captain of the royal guard, but his friend was currently far away from his mind.

"Es… Estelle…?" he tried, and it wasn't until he spoke that he was aware of the silence that had preluded this question. Rather than responding, the woman finally broke eye contact with him, took a final glance at Yuri, and promptly left.

*Woof?*

Even without knowing what Repede said, Flynn knew the dog was confused, or clueless. Then again, so was he; first Yuri and now Estelle? What kind of insane twist of events had brought two of the most unlikely people out here to the middle of nowhere?

"You know, I got roughly the same reaction from that blastia mage when I asked her why she was with you," Yuri finally commented, breaking his line of thought. "Do you have that effect more often on women outside of the military?"

"ha ha ha," Flynn commented dryly, not even remotely appreciating the humor. "Now why are you here again, and why is _she_ with you?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Flynn cut in. "You found evidence of corruption among the military, then the next day you found out that Ioder had been kidnapped, and that Estelle barely prevented an all-out riot in the lower quarter? After which there were a number of assassination attemps on the both of you in what might have been an all-out attack on the castle? You were forced to escape virtually by yourselves, and then you s_omehow_ made it past all military and assassins, ending up in Estelle's friend's home with the guards banging at the door with no real way out?"

"Yeah, that's basically it," Yuri replied, grimacing in pain. He was lying down, trying to keep his promise of resting to Estelle while at the same time informing Flynn of the happenings. His arm hurt a lot more than he liked to admit, but Estelle hadn't been able to tend to it further, or so she said.

He had some reservations about believing her claim about the arm needing more rest first, as she had been so angry at him for joining the battle with an injured arm yesterday that he wouldn't even remotely be surprised if this was her way of 'punishing him'. If he was honest with himself, he probably deserved it, and even though the arm hurt, being shouted at like that by Estelle hurt a lot more. Normally he would shrug similar things that various tutors had told him right off, but that was proving quite difficult, for some reason.

'_Maybe I really shouldn't have tried to use that arte yesterday? No, If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure Flynn would have been killed. Maybe Estelle is extra upset that I used it to save him? Hmmm… While she obviously hates him, I don't think she wants him dead… right? That would be unlike her, though I've only known her for three days, so can I really say that?'_

"Normally I would have called your bluff," Flynn commented, taking Yuri back to the present.

The prince only nodded; he couldn't blame him. If he hadn't been through it all himself, he would have been the first one to be skeptical. "But now?"

"Now, I'll just take another good drink," Flynn answered, pouring himself another glass of apple beer. "You're not the only one who has been through some crazy stuff lately," he finished, setting the bottle aside. "Let me tell you about what happened to me on my trip to Aspio..."

Yuri waited patiently for his friend to finish, finding himself genuinely impressed by Flynn's blackmailing effort to get Rita to fix the barrier. He also had to forcefully suppress his laughter when it came to the part about meeting a scantily dressed woman in a library, despite the pain he was in. Eventually he failed. "Bwahahaha! Oh, that's just too much. I could just picture you, surrounded by –haha- Give me a moment to –pffhahah..- recompose."

"I'm glad his royal highness is having a lot of fun over my embarrassment," Flynn responded dryly.

"You have that admit that it's at least a little funny," said Yuri, regaining control.

"No it wasn't, and I'd like to see how you would have handled the situation! I'm telling you that there's no way you'd stay your usual smug self. She was just way too beautiful and way too… um…"

"Nude?" Yuri helpfully supplied.

"Yes! I mean, No! Not like that, but-" Flynn let out a frustrated sigh.

"Haha, it sounds like you might be into her," Yuri teased, though at the same time he felt kind of bad for Sodia. Just about everyone knew of her obvious affection towards Flynn except for his friend himself, ironically. Right now though, teasing his friend was a fun distraction.

"Yeah, right. _Me_, having a crush on the person suspected of committing manslaughter on this whole village?" Flynn rebutted, trying to look offended but not quite managing it well enough. "Next to that, she's not even a member of the same race as us!"

"Does that really matter if you're that beautiful, in your words?" Yuri pondered aloud. "I know that a certain Commandant has a Krityan following him around at times," he added with a suggestive wink.

"Can you _please_ drop the subject?" his friend pleaded. "I'm more concerned about what she knows. She told me that there are dangerous side effects to using blastia, and that they should be destroyed. Did you know that?"

Yuri shook his head.

"I didn't, either. Don't you see, though? Even if she didn't sabotage the blastia, she must have a good idea of why it stopped functioning. If someone else sabotaged it, I think she might know more of the actual criminal," Flynn pressed on.

"So what you're suggesting is that we should try finding her again, and pressure her into talking," Yuri surmised.

"Yes, and that reminds me, did Rita make any progress at all on the reparations?"

"… No, I don't think so, sadly," Yuri informed him. "At least, not while I was talking to her a few hours ago. She's been working here non-stop, shooing away everyone who even tries to get close to the tree. She might have blasted me if I hadn't told her that doing that to a prince might not be such a good idea. From what I gather, this blastia is special in that it's a living one, and thus far more complicated than a normal blastia, although they all have personalities."

"Hmmm… yeah, I guess that would ma- wait, 'personalities'? You mean she _talks_ to blastia?" Flynn suddenly realized.

"There's this old saying my history tutor once told me. It was 'there's a thin line between a madman and a genius,', or something among those lines. I felt it was a load of crap, but right now, I hope there's some truth in it. Now if only she got that barrier back up..."

There was a moment of silence in which neither knew what to say. In the end, Yuri decided now was a good time to bring up the issue that had been bothering him for quite a while.

"Do you mind telling me why Estelle seems to hate you?" he asked. He had tried to ask Estelle before, but the result had been her growing sour for a good hour while he hadn't learned anything at all. "I think I know enough of Estelle to know she's not a very vindictive person. Actually, she even healed Rita back up after she thought the girl had tried to kill her."

Flynn choked on a sip of beer he had just taken back into his hand, sending him into a coughing fit. "What!"

"Strange, huh? You conveniently brought the person Estelle had been looking for back to Aspio for her. Seems like Rita stole the aqua blastia," Yuri mused. "But I don't want to get sidetracked too much, so what happened between the two of you?"

Flynn was uncharacteristically silent and pensive for a good minute. "Sorry Yuri, but that's none of your business. There are some things you don't need to know."

'_Things that I don't need to know, or things that you can't tell me for whatever reason? Well, I could probably manipulate him to tell me, but I don't think forcing him to do that is a good idea in the long run. There's one thing I would like to ask, though.'_

"Does that mean you two were a couple some time ago?"

"Like I said, 'Your Highness', that's really none of your business," his friend replied, this time a little harsher. "Wait… is there any specific reason why you're so interested, Yuri?" Flynn continued in a strangely neutral tone.

Yuri's first urge was to break the tension by answering that in an exaggerated, scandalous or otherwise provocative way, but he decided to take the safe option. "Maybe there is," he admitted. "It's just so strange to learn that your best friend has someone like Estelle who hates him so much. It doesn't fit either of you. Something tells me something is very wrong and I can't grasp what it is."

"…Sometimes, Yuri, things go bad, and no matter what you do, you won't be able to fix it," Flynn said softly while glancing out over the still defenseless town of Halure. By now, afternoon was approaching its end. In a couple of hours, night would come, and the monsters would become more active again. Flashing of the previous battle came unbidden and his mostly healed wounds gave off a surge of fresh pain, making him shudder.

"I don't deal in no-win scenarios. That's why I'm here right now; to try making a difference," Yuri countered, following his gaze.

For the second time since they had started talking, there was an extended silence.

"So?" Flynn suddenly asked.

Yuri blinked. "So, what?"

"How did you get out of there, Yuri? Out of the lower quarter? We got a little sidetracked and I'd like to hear the rest."

"Hah! Well, obviously I fought my way through the hordes of corrupt knights with my trusty sidekick and my protector," Yuri joked, trying to break the previous tension even further.

Flynn coughed. "Yeah, right. So what _really_ happened?"

"Heh, if you really have to know…"

* * *

_Three days ago_

"Looks like we're out of time," Gwenn commented. As to accentuate this, the soldiers outside became even louder in their demands and attempts to search the houses in the street.

Yuri's mind was racing to come up with a possible escape, but for once, he couldn't figure it out. The only option seemed to be catching the guards searching their place off-guard, and then hoping for the best against all the other ones that happened to be in the neighborhood. However, one look at Estelle's fatigued form told him that that wouldn't work; he himself wasn't feeling much better, and he knew that he had far too little combat experience to be much of a help. Maybe if he were Flynn…

"We could pretend that we're assisting someone giving birth," Estelle suddenly brought up, though she sounded a bit weak. "Maybe they'll let us be if we can convince them we need to be left alone?"

"Er, what?" Yuri brought up, glancing around at what appeared to be a lot of medicinal tools and numerous vials of… substances. Not to mention that the idea was somehow very uncomfortable. "Listen, I don't know much about-"

"While the idea isn't a bad one, the problem here is that they'll recognize you instantly, if only by your unique hair color, Estelle. If your 'friend' is also actively wanted by the knights, I suppose they will recognize him easily as well. Finally, while his hair might pass for a woman's, he lacks the correct anatomical make-up to pass for one." Gwenn interjected calmly, leaving Yuri very self-conscious and slightly embarrassed.

'_Was she seriously considering using ME as a woman in labor? I'm not that feminine, right?' _Suddenly he had to think of a purple coated pervert from one night ago, who had mistaken him for one in his drunken state.

"Oh… right… sorry; I'm a little tired," Estelle apologized. In truth, she sounded almost hollow. She most likely was still caught in the shock of losing 'the clinic', which probably doubled as her home.

"Estelle-" he began.

*Bam* *Bam*

"Open up! We of the royal knights demand entrance to this structure!" someone shouted from the other side of the door.

"Quiet, and come with me, quickly!" The older woman cut in, hurriedly walking to the back of the shop, pulling what looked like a massive crate to the side easily.

"In case you're wondering, it contains only clothes and towels," Gwenn explained to Yuri. Estelle said nothing.

"The first thing you get in the lower quarter is a sturdy lock," Gwenn commented softly while fiddling with something on the ground. She then slid a whole section of planks to the side, revealing a space below the floor. "The second thing is a compartment to hide whatever is truly valuable to you."

*Bam* "Open this door RIGHT NOW, or we will be forced to break it down!"

"Coming, coming," Gwenn called out.

Not waiting for any further instruction, Yuri quickly urged Repede inside and then entered himself, half-pulling Estelle with him, after which Gwenn closed the floor and moved the crate again. From the fleeting candle light in the room, he had guessed this was a relatively large compartment, but the stuff already inside made it hard to really move. Repede was pressed against his back while Estelle ended up facing towards him, yet as they suddenly heard a really large crashing noise, no one made any effort to try finding a more comfortable position.

The knights had broken the door down.

"Why did you not respond when we demanded you to open the door, citizen!" Someone shouted, though his voice was muffled slightly by the planks. To Yuri's horror, he realized that Repede was growling softly, and he immediately whispered a command as silently as he could.

"You will have to excuse me for wanting to dress myself to a modest state before answering my door. Considering how late is currently is, I think you should find that perfectly normal," Gwenn replied in indignation. "I also think that you owe me compensation for destroying my door, but knowing how _righteous_ you knights are, I suppose you did not need me to point that out, did you?"

"Shut up!" one of the men cut in, obviously angry. "You! Search that crate: it's large enough to hide people in!"

"Oh, so breaking down my door isn't enough; you also want to rifle through my possessions?"

"If I hear one more word from you, woman, I will have you arrested right now on charges of contempt of law enforcement! Hey, what are you waiting for? Inspect the crate already!"

'_You were so right about the knights having fallen, Flynn. Why-oh-why didn't I look into this sooner?' _Yuri thought to himself as the soldier moved closer…

And that's when Yuri noticed it. There was a slight streak of light falling through the floor on Estelle's hair, and if that was possible, Estelle was visible from the top. Apparently, Gwenn hadn't had enough time to completely cover the fake plank floor with the crate. He moves as fast as he possibly could, and threw part of his black cloak over her head and held his breath. Right next to him, a hairsbreadth away, Estelle did the same.

Footsteps drew closer, and Yuri realized that they were trapped. What would happen if they were caught now? Even if they were fit enough to fight, they wouldn't be able to get out of their hiding place without having to go through a wall of swords. In his case, there was a chance that they would let him live and take him to wherever Ioder was, if they didn't kill him. Of course, if the assassins were in league with the military, they would only keep him alive if he convinced whatever commander these guys reported to that he was a valuable bargaining chip to be used for greater personal power. In Estelle's case however, she would die regardless of what happened, if not worse. Probably worse.

' _Do I sacrifice her to that fate if it comes to it…? I have enough explosive spheres to kill both us and everyone in the vicinity instantly. Is my chance of survival worth what will happen to Estelle? I should say that I'm obviously important enough… but for some reason, I don't think I could. But If I die, who will take care of finding Ioder? And prevent the looming civil war? I'd need to take any chance I've got for survival… right?'_

As he thought of Estelle, he noticed that he was still holding her wrist with his left hand, from when he had pulled her inside with him. He would have instantly let it go, but he was more afraid to move than to be embarrassed.

Above them, the crate was opened by the soldier.

Yuri wasn't sure how much time passed, but it was far too long. He still didn't know what he would do. Maybe he could stab her to spare her from such a fate, instead?

"It's only useless rags and blankets sir. They're not here."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'd like you all to remove yourself from my house so I can fix the door before any thieves show up," Estelle's far older friend commented in perfect annoyance.

'_She's deliberately trying to rile the soldiers up to draw attention onto herself and away from any further inspection,' _Yuri realized, both with admiration for her courage and with horror for what would probably happen next.

"All right, lady. I've had it with you! Mitch, take her into custody. She will be an example to other troublemakers."

"You will come to regret this," Gwenn warned. "The more people who see you arrest me or any of my kin, the more 'troublemakers' you will have to-"

"Oh shut up!"

*Thud*

Then it was silent.

Beside him, Estelle stirred, and she grasped for her weapon. Yuri reflexively tightened his hold on her wrist, and shook his head ever so quietly. From this close, she would have to understand the gesture, even if she didn't see him. He felt her arm shaking, but she complied. It was a good thing, too, as he knew that if she really wanted to fight, he wouldn't be able to stop her, at least not without drawing very unwanted attention.

A few moments later, the knights were gone.

* * *

Flynn was quiet for a while. Yuri had given him reasonably complete overview, apart from the thoughts concerning blowing up himself and Estelle if things went really bad. After all, there were some things that others didn't need to know, in his friend's own words. Strangely, every time Estelle was mentioned, Flynn seemed to deflate a bit, and since Yuri still had no idea what was going on, he decided to try and keep the bits about Estelle overly general and vague.

"And then what happened? That still leaves the both of you in an area that is very likely to be heavily patrolled by knights until you're found."

"We knew we couldn't stay there. If we weren't found, someone slightly smarter could have heard the story, and could have decided to come after us," Yuri explained. "So with a lot of effort we forced ourselves out of there, then went by the sewers to someone who owed a favor to Estelle; some elder who's name I forgot. By the time we got there, Estelle 'felt' that the atmosphere in the area was highly tense. She seems to have a knack for sensing 'off' things in the surroundings. Anyway, so we went there –wait, hold on a sec," he finished, standing up to lessen the feeling of cramp from all the lying down.

"Did you tell the elder who you really are?" Flynn inquired.

"No. She seemed to buy Estelle's explanation that I was a friend helping her out. Repede and me were mostly ignored. Well, except on the way out, where I was told in no uncertain way that if I harmed Estelle caused her _any _kind of trouble, something very bad would happen to me."

"I guess you made a poor first impression?" his friend remarked, unable to let the opportunity slip by.

"Obviously," Yuri replied, playing along.

"Anyway, so you got the help of an elder who owed a favor to Estelle," Flynn mused. "The body of Elders holds a lot of power in the lower quarter, if only because they are selected by popularity rather than lineage. I guess this means you're about to tell me of some spectacular escape?"

Yuri grinned. "You could say that."

But his mind was more on the conversation before it.

* * *

"Do you think this will actually work?" Yuri asked the swordswoman next to him. From their position in the dimly-lit basement they had been hidden in, they could occasionally hear shouting from guards outside, still looking for them. There seemed to be less of them in the area now, presumably due to the knights spreading out further due to losing their trail. The problem was one of the heavily guarded exits they were currently close to. They had been told it was the same for all the exits. He was still wondering how someone had managed to get this many patrols up and looking for them so quickly…

'_Well, for now, I guess this place is a lot better than a shallow hole beneath the floor, and at least we're not in any imminent danger.'_

"I don't know. I can't remember this ever being done before," Estelle replied solemnly. The hour or so of sleep they had managed to get while elder Sarah had sent envoys had helped both of them to shake off their fatigue, and in her case, the gel he had more or less forced her to accept had also helped considerably. Physically they were somewhat prepared to escape and travel, and the sooner they got out of here, the better, as it would give them a bigger head start on whoever was chasing them.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough. How are you feeling now?" He almost instantly regretted asking, if only due to how stupid that question was. Her home had been destroyed, her friend had been arrested for helping her, and her life itself had changed drastically, if not by the execution order then by the intervention of himself and his allies. And the reason that had happened was because she was the only one that had the strength and willpower to successfully stand up to their enemies.

'_Good going with the empathy there, Yuri,' _he sarcastically reprimanded himself.

*woof*

'_Yeah, thanks. I don't need you to remind me, but I guess that's actually not a bad idea.'_

"Shhh…" he whispered to his companion.

"What did he say?" Estelle asked quietly.

"He says to remember what the elder said: that they'd come to help you regardless of the danger," Yuri translated. "I never really got a chance to ask, but you seem to be very popular around. This isn't something that many people would do for someone else."

"I don't think I'm that popular; I just help others when they need medical help. If they can't pay it, I give it to them for free," Estelle replied after a pause. "I'm also a midwife, though in those cases I almost always work with Gwenn." She looked back at him. "What do you think will happen to her?"

'_Honestly? He said he would make an example of her. That probably means execution, and if those guys trying to cause a riot make this a very public one, along with a few others of people that were angry about their homes being broken into…' _

"I think she'll be fine," Yuri lied, trying to offer a bit of mental comfort, and trying to meet those emerald eyes head on. "They don't have any evidence that she helped us at all, so they'll probably let her go after a few days in jail. It's the same penalty for breaking into the noble quarter, or generally harassing knights on duty."

"I hope you're right…" Estelle muttered in a distinctly dishearted tone, after which awkward silence reigned supreme.

'_Maybe if I try talking about something else to distract her, it'll get her back to normal for a while? It's not like there's anything else to do now. But what should I try?'_

"How long have you been, um, healing people?" Yuri eventually decided on, looking to change the subject back to an earlier one.

"What? Oh, I… let's see… I think I started going with my father on visits people when I was five or so. It wasn't until I was seven that I actually started helping," Estelle replied.

' Since you were five?'

"So you were basically trained for it as long as you could have been," Yuri concluded.

"Yes, the same as you, probably," she answered.

"In a way, I guess, but I don't think it's really the same thing."

She nodded. "Of course I don't know what it's like to be trained to be a prince."

Yuri shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Did you… like to become a healer? Did you have a choice?"

The healer looked at him with her head tilted slightly to the side, with a degree of confusion evident in both her tone and her facial expression. "A choice? No, but I wasn't old enough to realize I really had a choice, then. And I don't think I would have chosen something else even if I did. Dad always told me about how there were so few of us to take care of everyone here, and that becoming a healer was probably my best option if I ever wanted to live somewhere else."

"Now that you mention it, I've been wondering about that for a while," Yuri replied, suddenly remembering something. "Your military report had top marks in healing skill and medical knowledge. With those kinds of skill, you could have easily made a living anywhere, like the middle quarter, or maybe even among the nobles. So why-"

"I wanted to stay away from the castle and the knights," Estelle interjected flatly. Yuri decided not to comment on it; prying into sensitive issues wasn't really something he thought wise to do so quickly.

The swordswoman across from him paused briefly, gathering her thoughts. "And I stayed here because I felt that helping others was more important than the added luxery of the middle quarter or the noble quarter. Healers and doctors are very rare here _because_ we can't pay them well, unlike the nobles, for instance. As a result, a lot of people here die unnecessary deaths. Did you know that in some areas of the lower quarter, one in every ten women dies in childbirth? It's because there are no healers or midwives there."

"I see," Yuri brought out, not quite sure how to comment on that. _'Selfless and noble. Somehow I'm not surprised.'_

"I also had a number of friends that I didn't want to lose, so after… my father died, I just took over his clinic," she continued.

"Ah. I'm sorry for your loss," said Yuri almost automatically.

"Please don't be; It's been four years since then. And It… couldn't be helped," Estelle replied solemnly, looking away.

"…Do you have any other family?"

"No, but I sometimes feel as if all the people living here _are_ a very large family. Everyone's usually very social and supportive to others, and for me, that's a big part of what makes it worth living here," she explained. "Bad things do happen though, but we try to get by as best as we can."

'_Wasn't there a proverb on hardship and forging bonds between people?' _Yuri wondered.

"What about you, your Highness? Do you mean to say that you don't like to be a prince…?"

The prince in question suppressed a sigh. Hadn't he already asked her to drop it? "First off, the 'your highness' thing has really got to go. Like I said earlier, I've never really seen in the point in people treating other people with some ridiculous amount of respect based on nothing but who they were born to."

"Ah, right. Sorry, it's just that I don't usually meet people as important as you."

"Important? Yeah, I guess, but for all the wrong reasons," he sighed dejectedly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Estelle asked, curious.

"I'll tell you some other time. To get back to your question: No. I've never asked to be a prince. I never asked for it and I wouldn't have if I had the choice."

"But… why? Isn't it nice to be able to live a life of luxury, being served by servants at your every call and to be able to do whatever you want?"

Yuri raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I thought you just said that you purposefully chose a life of poverty over one of luxury?"

"Er, well, that's because I was satisfied with the life I had and had something I wanted to achieve. If I had grown up in the castle, I think I would have liked it," Estelle replied.

"Trust me on this, you wouldn't. It may be a bit hard to believe with all the excitement going on now, but the reality is that it's extremely boring. Your entire life is basically controlled by others. Everyone is always watching you, demanding you to be a perfect as you can be," Yuri explained. "There's never a 'what I want'. I need to do or learn things, or behave in some way because everyone else expects it of a prince. If I try hard to succeed and manage it, there's never any praise: it's expected of me to excel in everything, like I'm some sort of superhuman entity."

Estelle was silent.

"Next to that, you're never given any sort of freedom and you're completely sheltered from the rest of the world. If I hadn't tried so hard to get out on my own every once in a while, I wouldn't have known anything about the outside world, like my cousin," he went on. In the back of his mind, he realized that saying all this complaining might make him seem like an idiot to someone of the poorer folk, but it was already too late to turn back. "In your case, that means that you wouldn't have had any chance to go out and help or heal others. No, you'd just have been stuck in the library, reading all the time, and-"

"Actually, that doesn't sound that bad. I really like reading and studying," the pink haired healer suddenly cut in, sounding strangely excited. "I think I could be happy with just reading everything there was to know about the world! I wish that books weren't so expensive..."

Yuri could only stare at what seemed like a sudden complete reversal of her emotions. _'Huh? Did that actually do it? She's almost sounding almost like her normal self again?'_

"I… well… Let's just say I prefer to find out things by myself rather than reading about them," he replied, finding himself not really wanting to discredit reading all that much anymore for some reason. "And you still wouldn't have been able to heal others," he pointed out.

"Yes, you're right. Well, sorry for stopping you, Yo- Yuri. Please continue."

"Um, where was I again?"

*Woof!* Repede reminded him.

"Oh yeah, and then there's always the thing with everyone trying to either seduce me or plan my marriage to someone else. Don't laugh; it's seriously embarrassing and insulting. I've been cornered by very blunt noblewomen wearing very little clothing before, and then there's my head servant trying to make sure I 'reproduce' before I die, saying it's my duty to my house or something. That's also why he hires mostly highly attractive girls to do all the work," Yuri went on. "No one actually seems to care about who I am. It's only the title that matters, and what a position of power someone involved with me could get."

"I suppose I can see why you'd get a lot of attention," Estelle responded with a small grin, finding it hard not to find it amusing despite Yuri's obvious annoyance. "When you put it like that, I mean," she quickly added.

Yuri sighed. "How would you like it if just about any person of the opposite gender you met tried to hit on you? Wait- does that happen to you too? Given your obvious popularity and your looks, I wouldn't be surprised."

The words hadn't even left his mouth before Yuri realized what he'd just said aloud.

'_Please tell me you were too preoccupied by something to have heard that,' _he pleaded in vain. He supposed it was a good thing that the light was dim and that it would be pretty hard to see him blushing.

He was relieved to see Estelle bursting into chuckle a moment later. He offhandedly decided that he liked the sound. "No, no, I can't say I know what that's like," she said. "I try not to stand out too much, but I guess that if that happened, I'd put everyone down gently."

"You… try not to stand out to much?" He inquired.

She nodded. "To avoid unwanted attention."

Before Yuri could finish any of the questions that were on his mind, they were interrupted by the hatch to the basement suddenly opening, and both Estelle and he were on their feet with their weapons ready almost instantly. It proved to be unneeded though, as it was only one of the 'guards' that had been keeping watch for them.

"It's time," the middle-aged man said. "Get ready," he finished, upon which he left.

"Well, I guess we'd better leave then," Yuri remarked, walking to the stairs. "Thanks for listening; it's been a while since I got to talk to someone like this. Hope you didn't find it boring."

"No, not at all. That was actually very interesting," Estelle replied pleasantly.

'_Looks like I really did manage to get her mind off of her own problems and losses for a while,' _he mused, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"So, do you still think you'd like living as a princess?" Yuri asked, grinning.

"Haha. No thanks, I think I'll pass for now."

* * *

*Snap*

Yuri was immediately drawn from his thoughts. "Huh? What?" he asked, slightly disoriented.

"Are you feeling all right?" Flynn asked in concern, standing over on the prince as he was lying on his bed. "You were about to tell me how you eventually escaped and then you just zoned out completely. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had fallen asleep," he said.

"Really? Well, I guess I am feeling a bit tired," Yuri admitted. "The fight yesterday was pretty harsh, and between that, getting here, and trying to either get acquainted with everyone or keeping them from killing each other, I've been pretty busy. There wasn't any real time to rest."

Flynn nodded, then sat back down on a chair. "Yeah, I know what that's like. At least you seemed to have a good dream; I don't think I've ever seen you grin that stupidly before."

The somewhat ragged looking prince blinked. "I… what?"

*Pant*

"You heard us, right, Repede?" Flynn pressed humorously, enjoying another chance to put the embarrassment on Yuri for a change. On the other hand, deep down inside, he had a worrying suspicion and wasn't sure he'd like the coming answer. "So what was that about?"

'_Was I really grinning? Guess I was embarrassed,' _the prince thought to himself. "Well, obviously I was thinking about our heroic escape," he half-lied. To himself, it sounded convincing enough. _' _

In response, the unarmored soldier only stared at him, his expression completely unreadable. "Right," he finally spoke aloud, though Yuri had the distinct idea that his friend didn't buy it. "You know, Yuri, if you're tired, you should rest. We can continue this another time."

"No, it's fine. I can keep going for a while."

"Well, maybe you can give me the short version, then. You still haven't told me what you want with me or the unit, and I'd like to know that before everything else," Flynn pointed out.

"Fair enough," Yuri conceded. "Long story short, the inhabitants faked a massive fire breaking out. That got us out."

"A fire…?" Flynn repeated, surprised. "Hmmm, I guess that fires _are_ a big problem in the lower quarter, due to everything being made of wood and with all the buildings clumped together so much. But how would that help you get out? Did you all stage some sort of mass panic to escape in the confusion?"

Inwardly, Yuri had to suppress a smile. Since he had met Flynn, the knight had become increasingly good at figuring out less chivalrous solutions to situations, most prominently in thinking of ways to escape the castle. He was convinced that his friend wouldn't have made that connection so quickly two or so years ago. "Yeah, something like that," he affirmed. "You're missing one thing, though: there were still guards stationed at the gates. Even with the streets in panic, we didn't want to risk getting too close to them or forcing our way past. Trying that could have ended pretty messy."

"Right, but you _did _get past somehow," Flynn mused, taking another sip of his apple beer. Absently, Yuri noted that while he had had quite a few, there were no signs of intoxication on his friend at all. If he was ever going to try drinking him under the table again, like the one disastrous time he had done that in the middle quarter, he was going to have to do a _lot_ of catching up, resistance wise.

"We used the circumstances to our advantage," he explained further, forcing some highly embarrassing but retrospectively funny scenes from a certain tavern from his mind. "In this case, we were 'in luck'. 'To douse a fire, one would need water'," he quoted from a famous comedy writer from a century ago.

He paused.

"Obviously, but how does that-," Flynn began before being hit by realization. "Wait, the aqua blastia-!"

"Was stolen, meaning the source of water was gone, too. At least some of the knights in the area would have picked up the rumors or would have noticed it themselves. Oh, of course there were some pretty substantial reserves of water the people had stored here and there, but they didn't need to know that, did they?" Yuri finished off-handedly.

Flynn snorted out in laughter at his friend's gesture. "Pfahaha, I can see where this is going."

"Yeah, so a few groups of men were sent out with a number of barrels to get water outside of the city…" Yuri continued.

"…And you were in those barrels!" Flynn concluded. "Still, it seems a bit strange that the guards didn't check those or at least sent a few men with you just in case."

"Actually, I don't really blame them," Yuri replied, looking away. "If I hadn't seen it happen right in front of me, I'd never have figured that A. so many people would be willing to put themselves in danger just to help someone else, and B. that the people would be organized enough to pull off something as grand as that. To the guards there, it would seem like a genuine emergency. They _did _send a couple of guards along, but I think that was actually to protect the men from the monsters outside. The one in charge there –Estelle recognized the voice as someone named LeBlanc- was pretty decent compared to most knights I've come across recently."

"And the guards? How did you deal with them?"

Yuri shrugged. "The same way we handled the assassins. Repede and I took one of them, Estelle took care of everyone else. Strangely, there were two of them that didn't want to fight at all. Two guys from the Schwann brigade, I think. They were somehow convinced that a pink haired seductress was abducting me, but upon seeing Estelle they kind of dropped their delusion, and I talked them into helping us out. After that, we fled the scene. Two days of travelling passed, and here we are," he finished. "For now, I think that's everything you need to know."

Flynn was silent. "Yeah, you two sure have been through a lot, these last couple of days," he eventually said. "And here I was thinking I had it rough with all the monsters here and being publicly embarrassed by scarcely dressed women."

Yuri smirked. "You know, back on that last subject, I'd honestly have figured you'd be immune to female charms by now."

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Yuri?"

"Well, you know, there are a few rumors here and there…"

"About what?"

"About you and your ALL female unit of soldiers, obviously," Yuri bluntly clarified, trying hard not to give in to laughter in the face of his friend's obliviousness.

"Such as…?"

"Such as you 'sharing tents' with various companions, sometimes with multiple ones at once."

Even though Yuri prided himself with his ability to read and predict how others would respond, he was still taken off guard when Flynn just continued to stare at him. "Yeah, that does happen at times. We can lose tents due to them being damaged in fights, for instance. What's so strange about that?"

For an instant he was reminded of Estelle, who had also been genuinely confused as to why he had wanted to buy more than one tent for their journey across the land. In her eyes, more tents just added to the weight that had to be carried. After talking to her later, he understood that it was her soldier background, and that she was probably used to sharing tents with others during military campaigns. For him though, the concept of her sleeping less than two steps away from him was… embarrassing? Exciting? Both? Yuri wasn't sure what to think, just that that it had made him feel very uncomfortable. Apart from the conversations, that was. Those were really interesting.

Still, all that was no excuse for Flynn to mistake the obvious 'sharing tents' metaphor for something else. "I don't think that 'strange' is the way to put it," he continued, suddenly feeling unsure of what he was saying. Was he perverting some sacred trust soldiers had for one-another too much? Maybe Flynn would only feel deeply offended rather than annoyed or amused? "It's just that, you know, all of your squad members are women, and-"

"Not all of them. Witcher is a man."

Yuri blinked, genuinely surprised. "He is?"

"What- don't tell me you've never noticed!"

There was an awkward silence. The question Yuri didn't want to ask himself was what that said about Witcher. Or maybe he was actually the only innocent one? "Ah, right. I've never really had a real chance to talk to him. Still, apart from him, all your squad members are female. Doesn't that tell you anything?" he asked intently, remembering feeling sorry for Sodia. Maybe if he just gave Flynn a _very hard_ push in the right direction…

"Why would they _all_ chose to follow you, a relatively unimportant sergeant? Especially Sodia; she's obviously highly talented and could probably make a better career than staying your subordinate forever."

'_Now we're even for all the times you helped me get out of the castle,' _Yuri inwardly told himself.

"That's obvious: Woman generally like the idea of fighting injustice and standing for the weak more than men," Flynn instantly replied. "I do those kind of missions far more than other unit commanders. I 'm sure the same goes for Sodia, and I really appreciate her help."

"…Wow, that's actually the ONLY other reason that might have a bit of truth to it…" Yuri muttered to himself. From his current position at the window, he saw that night was starting to fall, and that the villagers that had ventured outside of the defended structures quickly finished whatever business they had, after which they sped for the buildings that had been barricaded to withstand potential monster attacks.

"You know what, forget about it," he then said to Flynn, who was still looking at him quizzically. There were a few things he had to do before the day was through. "I think it's time we got down to business."

"Right. I guess you're going to ask me to come with you, to search for your cousin, right? That's why you came here," his friend stated in a serious tone, meeting his gaze evenly.

"Yes, that's pretty much it," Yuri replied. "You're one of the very few people that I can trust unconditionally, and whom we don't need back at the castle to work against the conspirators in the council," he explained in equal tone. "So what are you going to do?"

His friend mulled things over for a good minute before he slowly began his answer. "If what you're telling me is true, if Alexei is really behind it and I chose to follow you over staying here to help the people, I'd be disobeying a direct order. It would give the corrupt officers an excuse to dishonorably discharge me, so st would basically mean the end of my career in the military, and everything I've worked so hard to achieve in the last few years."

Yuri was silent. It was hard to argue with that scenario.

"With me labeled as a deserter, the military would look badly upon the unit itself, probably disbanding it altogether," Flynn continued.

"Probably, yes," the prince agreed.

"And the way things look, it seems as though the enemy is at a very clear advantage, both power-wise and intelligence-wise. We know almost nothing about who they are, but they seem to know everything about us."

"Also true."

"You know, you're not exactly making a convincing case for yourself here, Your Highness," Flynn stated dryly.

"I think the alternative sort of speaks for itself, buddy. If I fail to rescue Ioder and something happens to me, it will basically mean the end of the empire. Countless lives will be lost," Yuri countered. "And I already told you how corrupt the military is right now. The higher ups used fake records to make sure you didn't get promoted, and since they probably see you as a threat, they'll never promote you, either. I'm sorry buddy, but that's the way things are," he finished softly.

"I know," Flynn answered, looking down. "But still, it feels like giving up," he continued, and he balled his fists. "Ever since I was little, what I wanted to do was to become a respected knight. It was all I worked for. All the near-suicidal orders, constantly fighting without any kind of rest, the less than humane actions of our army during the guild war… I did it, forced myself to deal with it, because I thought that one day, I'd be in the position to change it." By now, his voice was clearly emotional. "And I'm supposed to just give it up without-"

A gentle pad on the shoulder stopped him from talking. "We're not giving up; we're deciding to fight them head on. You'll get where you want to be, one day," Yuri gently cut in. "Up until now, I've kept myself from interfering with the military too much. I think it's time we stopped playing by the rules. When we get back with Ioder, we're going to clean house, you and me. I won't let anything stop us; no matter how powerful a person thinks he is, I'll find a way to throw them out of the castle. We start at the top, then work our way down. It's a promise."

Flynn was quiet for a moment, weighing his options. In the end, the only thing that he could think of was that Yuri was right. But as for his promise, would he really be able to hold his word?

"I know this is a tough decision," said Yuri, "So to make things easier for you, I'd like you to read this," he finished, giving Flynn the letter that the captain of the royal guard had given to him. Yuri hadn't tried to read what it said, but he figured he had a pretty good idea.

Flynn studied the contents of the letter extensively before he spoke again.

"All right then," the knight decided, and did something Yuri would never have expected: he knelt down before him ceremoniously. "I hereby resign myself from the knights, and pledge my services to the line of royalty alone. My life is secondary to those of the emperor's heritage, and with my sword shall I vanquish those who intend them harm. Thus, I ask the line permission to allow me entry into the royal guard."

Although he and his cousin had both granted this request dozens of times before, there was something highly embarrassing to Yuri about your best friend kneeling before you and requesting it. "You know you don't need to ask me so formally," he remarked. "Wait, did you actually memorize all of that in just a few minutes?"

Flynn said nothing, keeping his head bowed.

"Ok, ok, you have permission," Yuri said, slightly annoyed at the formality.

"I hereby give you my utmost gratitude, your Highness," Flynn said stoically. "Now, I solemnly ask permission to leave your room, Yuri. I need to think of how I'm going to address my unit before I leave."

Yuri laughed at the clearly exaggerated politeness. "You're such a comedian. I think you and I are going to get along a lot better than me and most of the other guys," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"I hope so too, as my first order as a _Lieutenant_ of the royal guard is to follow you 'to the end of the world and into hell itself'," Flynn answered with a grin. "So no matter what you're going to do, you're kind of stuck with me."

"A Lieutenant? Well, congratulations on your promotion," Yuri answered, slightly surprised. "Not sure how the other guards will respond to you being entered roughly two-thirds of the way to the top, but that's not really our problem, is it?"

"Yeah… although, come to think of it, Yuri, there's something I want to ask you, as a friend. I know that I can't force you to do anything, but still."

"Really? What would that be?"

"I want you to leave Estelle out of this," Flynn responded. From just a glance at his face, Yuri knew that even for him, he was unusually serious. "The moment she gets that blastia from Aspio, you let her go. If we're going to look for your cousin, that means we're going to hunt down our enemies right to their doorstep. She doesn't deserve to be in that kind of danger; she deserves better than being forced to stay here with us."

'_Ok, if I ever needed some confirmation that Estelle either meant or means a lot to Flynn… ' _Yuri thought absently before the accusation hit home. "Wait- I wasn't planning anything like that!" he rebutted. "What makes you think I'd-"

"Don't bother, Yuri. You're no saint. You get your hands dirty for your cousin's sake, and you're not above anything to get what it is that you want. I think that most of the time, people aren't even aware of how you're manipulating them. I respect your skill at that," the ex-knight said. "All I ask is that you let Estelle walk away from this. Regardless of how valuable she might be to your mission, you owe her that much, and you owe _me_ that much, too."

At first, the prince had no idea how to respond. "Fine," he eventually settled on. "You don't need to believe me, but I really wasn't planning on forcing her to stay."

"Good," Flynn said simply. "Guess it's really time to prepare for the journey tomorrow, in that case. Good night, Yuri."

"Yeah, you too," Yuri responded as his friend left the room. He didn't go to sleep yet, though, as there was one other person he had to talk to first.

_**Author's commentary:**_

The big problem with a relatively large time skip in the previous chapter is that a lot of holes need to be filled. I tried to touch on some things here, whereas some others will be done in the accompanying next chapter. At the same time, I didn't want all of the chapter to be a flashback, since that wouldn't have moved the story forward at all.

*extra note: a review informed that that it's not explained why Estelle's hair in this chapter is brown. It's explained in the next chapter, but to adress the problem now, she basically disguised both herself and Yuri. There is a death warrant on her, and he is a runaway prince, so covering up something as eye-catching as bright pink hair is a really smart thing to do.

Overall, I'm happy with the Yuri-Flynn interaction in the chapter. I understand Estelle was a bit OOC for the short moment she was in the chapter, but she has a pretty good reason to be upset with both of them at this point in time. Flashback Estelle was pretty well done, I think, but I'm always looking for other people's opinions.

I have to admit that it's been a while since I played Tales of Vesperia, but for some reason I seem to remember Witcher as being female (must be the high pitched voice?), whereas the game wiki states him as male. Hmmmz. Oh well.

I'd like to ask everyone who liked or disliked this to please let me know what was good or bad about it by review. While I wasn't able to respond to all reviews last time, please know that I enjoy reading them thoroughly, even if it's just a few simple words of encouragement.

Up to the next chapter, then!

-kind regards,

Dieuwtjin


	12. Avoiding unwanted attention

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tales of Vesperia.

**_Nobility, Chapter 12: ___****Avoiding unwanted attention**

It was late in the afternoon when Estelle closed the door behind her with a deep sigh. Since the early morning, right after they had gotten back, she had continued going over the wounded of the recent monster attacks. At first, it had only been the remaining ones that hadn't been tended to by the knights, but after she saw a particularly shoddy healing of a fractured tibia bone, she had gone as much of the ones previously helped by the knights as she could, too, just to make sure. The only break she had taken was to see how well Rita the thief was progressing with repairing the blastia protecting the town.

Last night, when she saw who Flynn had taken with him from Aspio, her heart had skipped a beat. For a moment, she had thought her search was over, and that she could have gone home to disappear until the authorities forgot about her.

It wasn't to be though, as Rita didn't have the blastia; she had left it in Aspio. It hadn't taken a lot of effort to convince her to confess, since for some reason, Rita had been terribly frightened by her. Well, as soon as she had figured out who she was, that is, since she hadpainted her hair brown and had worn her armor and uniform at the time. In short, she had looked nothing like her normal self.

She sat down, and watched her reflection in the small mirror on the table. As she did, she wondered if even the 'her' from a few days ago would have recognized herself now. Probably not. It stung as she considered the very real possibility that she could never allow herself to look like her normal self again. Maybe if more people had been born with bright pink hair, she could have risked it. She shook her head wistfully; no such luck for her.

The painting of her hair was actually one of the first things she had done to disguise herself, which was at their first resting spot with water after they had left the city. The dye was something she had requested from Elder Sarah before they had left her, and she was glad she did since none of the small towns they had since traversed sold any. They did however sell plenty of clothing, the purchase of some less conspicuous ones for them being the second priority on her mind. It quickly became apparent to her that she would be the one doing all the shopping, as Yuri had no idea of how expensive or cheap certain things were supposed to be.

Even though she was absolutely horrified when he had tried to pay for a tent with a platinum gald piece, which was worth roughly 40 tents, there was something amusing about his cluelessness. Still, it had been a stroke of luck that the owner didn't recognize the coin in time before Estelle had snatched it away, otherwise Yuri would have exposed himself as a wealthy noble right away.

What was also amusing about Yuri was his apparent shyness, as he had been so nervous about bringing just one tent that she had had no idea what was bothering him until she decided to flat out ask him. She recalled that she had to laugh when she heard the reason; for someone who was used to being 'hit on by everyone he met', she had expected him to be a lot less modest. Actually, she had _almost_ given into the temptation to tease the prince about that, but in the end, it had seemed unfair to do that given her background.

Regardless, after the end of their mini shopping spree, in which Estelle felt they had spend more gald in a day then she would have spent in a number of months, the two of them convincingly looked like a pair of travelling country folk, perhaps farmers, with the only off feature being Yuri carrying a pair of swords (one for each of them) on his belt. Then again, even that wasn't too uncommon in the dangerous countryside.

She would have liked to cut off Yuri's hair short as well, but no amount of convincing could persuade him to part with it. He'd said that it was an important part of the Lowell tradition, whatever that meant. If you asked her, it only made him look needlessly feminine. Well, at least he was build athletically enough to compensate.

The only real loose end in the disguises had been Repede and the armor they didn't want to lose, so they had solved it by binding the gear on him and having him travel far to the sides, where he could jump into cover the moment he heard or smelled trouble. The… um… dog (she was unsure what to call him, since he seemed so much more) had impressed her more than once with his seemingly tireless stamina and speed. He had even managed to keep up with them after they had bought horses for themselves for faster movement, despite being weighed down. She could see why he was considered the best 'dog' the royal family kennels had produced.

Also, if they hadn't been so pressed for time, she would have really liked to see if there was a physical cause for Yuri and Repede being able to talk to one another. As an anatomically respecting doctor, she couldn't help but feel curious about a possible anatomical deviation in their brains, or maybe only Yuri's, something a few carefully conducted scanning Artes would easily bring up. Given his stubbornness for doing crazy, logic-defying things, she wouldn't be surprised if she found a few.

All musings aside, in the end, it seemed that both their disguise and their fabricated story as a travelling couple of farmers from Halure, visiting family in the lands around here, were good enough. In fact, it had been good enough twice, hey had been questioned that many times on the way there. Taking the size of the landscape into account, and that they were travelling the less used roads, it was a clear indication of just how many knights were looking for them. It also reminded them of how smart it was _NOT _to try taking the main road through Deidon Hold to Halure, as anyone with any remote intelligence could figure out that the military stronghold would be well-informed of a runaway member of the royal family trying to get through.

"Maybe I should follow my own advice and get some rest myself," Estelle murmured to herself. "I'm reminiscing too much," she continued, after which she dragged herself to the bed. She pulled off her armor, but left the uniform on, just in case she would have to fight during the night. It wasn't hygienically optimal, but practicality came first. The uniform was far more comfortable for fighting than normal clothes and wearing it here seemed to boost the morale of the townsfolk a bit; it reinforced their idea that there really was a prince here, doing his best to help them out.

She had been a bit surprised about Yuri's decision to openly announce who he was shortly after they had arrived here, but since there were no knights here other than Flynn's soldiers, and the villagers were trapped with nowhere to go, she had to agree that there wasn't much risk.

'_Flynn…'_ The name seemed stuck in her many things had happened in the last few days, but perhaps the most emotionally strangest one was meeting Flynn again. Given what he had done the last time they had seen each other, she had expected herself to feel satisfied about finding him in a near-death state, but in reality, she had felt oddly detached and empty.

She had even found herself trying to stabilize him during and after the fight, but that might have been more due to Sodia crying all over him (from her limited interaction with the soldier and Yuri's brief introduction, Estelle liked her overall, despite her being somewhat overly emotional upon finding Flynn) and Yuri desperately calling to her for help. If she hadn't done so, Flynn might have died regardless of Sodia's first aid and gel treatment.

Every mention of the name of her former… whatever they had been in the past brought about images of childhood memories, when they were both far too innocent to really understand a concepts like discrimination against the poor and corruption of power, along with when they decided to join the military together to follow an in hindsight doomed fantasy.

Now, Flynn was associated with an emotional void covering dulled yet deeply rooted pain and betrayal. She wasn't sure how well she was going to react to having to travel with him tomorrow, but for now she thought that staying as far away and talking to him as little as possible was the best approach.

She shook her head, and focused on other things. Most importantly, Rita hadn't managed to fix the blastia, despite the impression Estelle had that the thief was giving it an honest attempt. That meant that the townspeople were still at the mercy of whatever beast came roaming around. Could Yuri really get a group of mages together that would be able to fix the barrier? If not, what were they supposed to do to help these people if the military was clearly leaving them to die?

She closed her eyes, and tried to get a better position in the bed to fall asleep. _'No, I can't think like that. Yuri will find a way to use his position as a prince. If he has to, maybe he can move everyone to Aspio or Deidon hold for protection somehow. Yes, he'll… find a way…Then I can go…back with the blastia, and leave this…Move to…' _

And fatigue finally caught up with her.

* * *

Moans of pain – the first things that gave an indication to Estelle as to where she was. She looked around, confused. The background was vaguely familiar, as where the shapes of wounded soldiers around her, with only a few persons actually walking through the confinements.

_'Why can't I see everything clearly?'_

"Estelle, don't hesitate. You don't have much time!" A familiar voice urged her on. She turned in the direction of the voice, and saw her mentor, Lisa, clear as day. Right next to her was Ioder, watching her intently. In front of her was a small girl, the very one the prince had just carried here.

_'Right… this is the treatment ward for soldiers wounded in the guild war. We're in one of the forward camps. Where else would I be?'_ The medic shook her head in an attempt to get out of her daze, and the world shifted into slightly better focus. However, she was aware that something was… wrong with all of this.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll get right on it!" she chirped. There weren't many things that could get her very nervous. Perhaps it was just that her emotions had become dulled among all the misery the war had caused. Still, the combined stare of her mentor along with the heir to the throne, and the realization that they depended on her to do something that was widely considered as treason did the trick.

Immediately she started channeling aer. First, to get a more thorough impression of what was needed to save her. As she always had with persons she was trying to diagnose, an imprint of that person came to her mind. This imprint always consisted of an uncountable number of smaller imprints, of which she had grown to recognize certain groups as being the same. These groups, as she had later learned, were related to the position of organs in the body.

'_This was the start of the whole mess with the military and Flynn…' _someone said from nearby. While the message was extremely out of place and strange, Estelle ignored it. She was too focused, and for some reason she thought she knew what it meant.

The imprint of the girl was still with her and it felt as thought almost all of the countless smaller imprints were in dire need of… whatever they needed to function normally. There was even a very disturbing realization that part of the body was breaking of itself to serve as food for other parts. In short, there was a dangerous lack of nutrition with threatening immediate starvation, something far subtler to fight than open wounds. In this stage, an average healer wouldn't have stood a chance.

Luckily for the girl, Estelle had always been anything but an average healer. She was rarely very self-conscious or prideful, but she was absolutely convinced that she was gifted in this area. "I need… porridge, or soup, or something like that. Anything that doesn't require much effort to eat," she said in a strained tone. Speaking while healing was something she hoped to master one day, but for now that was too difficult, even for her.

Someone quickly paced away from her; she assumed it was her mentor. For now, she was completely caught up in doing what she could do for the girl. All the smaller units were short, but certain groups of them were highly important for the girl's survival, whereas some others could be missed for at least a short while. To her, it seemed as though the body had difficulty distinguishing the two when it really mattered… or was it just not possible to lower nutritional supply to an area below a certain base level? If that was the case, was what she was about to do more dangerous than leaving it like this?

No, she decided, she had to go with her feeling if she hoped to be able to save the girl. Exorcising as much influence over the girl's body as she possibly could, she tried to block entrance to all the non-vital groups of impressions she could. At the same time, she froze the units breaking themselves down, hopefully preventing lasting damage.

Estelle realized her own breathing had become ragged and strained; this required extreme effort on her part. She had long since closed her eyes to focus better on what she was doing. "Feed her, now," she said to whoever was left behind. At first, nothing happened. A male voice, Ioder, most likely, asked her something, but she was too caught up in her task to hear clearly, let alone respond. A second voice answered him, and finally she became aware that the girl was being fed.

_'If I'd been too tired to continue, would all of this have happened?'_

Again, Estelle ignored the strange voice. All that mattered was that she held on to the girl long enough for some of the nutrition to make it through. Just a little bit longer…

"What is the meaning of this?" someone shouted from nearby. Estelle frowned. That had almost been loud enough to break her concentration. She ignored it as best she could… until someone grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her up from her position. All the impressions instantly faded into nothingness. She blinked to regain her bearings, and to her horror, she found herself, Ioder, her mentor and one other royal guard surrounded by camp knights. However, that wasn't the most frightening thing; that honor belonged to Luitenant Cumore himself being with them.

"You will let her go, _this instant,_" Lisa threatened to the knight holding her. Her voice was so dripping with venom that it caused some of the wounded onlookers to flinch. However, to further add to her rising sense of panic, the knight didn't let her go, or even soften his grip. Even in her exhausted state, the way he was looking at her made her want to get as far away from him as possible.

"You will do no such thing, private," Cumore countered in his usual, snide way. "That… person you're holding was caught red-handed aiding the enemy. Such an act of high treason in my camp falls under my jurisdiction, and the punishment will be decided by me." She absently noted that some of the knights with him were smirking. "While I have the _utmost _respect for the captain of the royal guard, she has no authority whatsoever over soldiers not in her division. Now, arrest her and take her to the cell."

Estelle's instinct screamed at her to draw her sword and fight her way out, but she instantly knew that there was no point. She was currently to weak to put up any real fight, especially when she was so outnumbered, and it was unlikely that her mentor would actually put Ioder in danger by starting a fight.

Panic took over.

"No! No… wait! I, I didn't-!"

"You didn't? I'm afraid I have two dozen witnesses who say otherwise, _girl_," Cumore chided. "Does anyone here claim otherwise?" he asked his men and the wounded knights who were watching.

"Ye-yeah, I'll claim otherwise," one of the wounded suddenly spoke up. Estelle's heart skipped a beat. "Estelle would never willingly do something like that! He forced her!" he finished, weakly pointing at Ioder.

There was a resounding snap as Cumore's plated first connected with the man's jaw. He immediately fell unconscious. "How DARE you accuse his royal highness of treason!" the Luitenant spat. "Is there anyone else who dares insult the imperial line!"

This time, predictably, no one spoke up. All those strange, faceless figures, but none of them could find their voices to object. Estelle glanced to the side in desperation and saw that Lisa and the other, extremely tall and muscular guard were exchanging some non-verbal signs with one-another. Any further coherent thought was cut off as she was forcibly dragged forward further.

'_No… why… I only did what I was told!' _By now, it was becoming very hard not to cry.

"Stop it! I, prince Ioder of the imperial line, hereby order you to let go of her! She was indeed acting on my orders!"

This time, the knight did actually stop. Estelle almost didn't dare breathe.

"Your Highness? Surely you aren't suggesting letting this traitor go, would you? It would be a smear on the honor of your house. How would I ever explain this to the council?" Cumore answered in a falsely sweet tone.

"I do not care how you explain it!" Ioder rebutted, visibly angry. "I'm here on their urging first of all, so this entire incident is their own fault in the end! In addition, my presence here is sorely to increase the morale of the army, while everything I have seen you do so far can only destroy it! Perhaps YOU would like ME to drag you before the council to explain _that, _instead?" he finished, taking a step forward.

"Now, surely wouldn't dream of directly going against the orders of his royal highness himself?" Lisa cut in, advancing towards the knights until she was roughly in striking distance. The soldiers in front of her glanced about nervously, not sure whether or not to back further away. She glanced over them and rested her hand on the pommel of her sword, and the next moment all knights accompanying Cumore had their weapons out.

"My, your lackeys sure are jumpy," Lisa dryly commented at the their reaction. "You know, based on your various stances, I can see roughly fifteen flaws from just a first glance over. That tells me I could kill all of you with just Artes in less than ten seconds. So, I would have asked you to reconsider whatever it was that you were about to do," she let the statement ling in the air, "But you lost that option the second you drew a weapon in His Majesty's presence."

The next moments went by in a blur of motion. Lisa ducked, after which the massive Royal guard behind her swung over her with his staff-like weapon, catching a number of the knights in the swing. Then her mentor came at the knights with her sword drawn.

It was at this moment that Estelle noticed that the guard holding her was reaching for his weapon; he was going to fight. Survival instinct told her that there was a good chance that he would strike her down first, either in panic or just out of malice, so she did the only thing that made sense to her.

She summoned whatever strength she had left to push the knight away from her, and managed to catch him off-guard. In the seconds it took him to regain his balance, Estelle had her own sword out. As she had feared, the man came at her instead of joining the ongoing fight.

"So the little traitor bitch thinks she can fight," the man sneered at her. Ignoring the insult, Estelle quickly considered the situation knew that there was no way she would normally be able to defeat a well-rested knight in her state.

"St-stay away from me!" she cried out.

"No dice. Let me show you how we deal with-" he started a downward diagonal sword slash mid-sentence. It was a long, drawn out movement, with him obviously throwing all of his strength and the maximum possible momentum into one lethal swing. It was then that Estelle realized that he was dangerously underestimating her; that maybe she had a chance, no, she _had _a chance. That _had _to be enough!

She instantly reacted in the way she had been taught and threw herself forward against the knight, placing her well inside the swing's safety zone. She then grabbed his word arm with her free hand, using the remaining momentum to pull him further around her. Then, finally, she thrusted her sword upward as hard as she could, neatly sliding it between the plates of his scale mail. It was in the area of the heart, she realized, though she hadn't been consciously aiming for it. The entire move had cost roughly a second.

He died instantly.

As he fell to the ground, Estelle stood there in a daze, watching his faintly surprised facial expression. A fellow knight had just tried to kill her, and she had been forced to kill him for it. While she thought she had done the only thing that could have kept it her safe, deep down inside, it felt like as if she had killed another human for the first time all over again. Not only that, but since this was a person from her own side, it technically counted as murder, something she could be locked up for in a prison for many years.

A hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder. "Estelle… are you all right?" Lisa asked her hesitantly. The healer felt like either laughing hysterically or crying, she wasn't sure which. She silently shook her head.

Lisa gave her a slight squeeze, which felt unusually calming and comforting to her. "Don't feel sorry for him. He chose the wrong path. People like him don't even deserve to call themselves knights."

Estelle didn't respond.

"Right… come on, we need to get you away from this place. You can ride with us all the way back to Zaphias. Marcus, take the girl with you," she then ordered to the large knight.

She let herself by led away by her mentor. Looking around, she saw that all the knights that had been with Cumore were all writhing in pain. She had no idea how bad their injuries were, but they were all clearly alive. It might have made her feel even more guilty about killing the knight if she hadn't felt so relieved and sad: Relieved because this was the end of this hell for her; Sad because it was the permanent end of her dream of meaning something to the people of the lower quarter by trying to become a knight of importance, especially if she was thrown in jail for this.

To her left, Ioder tried to offer an apology to her, which she waved away, since she felt that it was her own fault for agreeing to do something she knew was forbidden. To her right, the large Royal Guard was muttering something towards Cumore, all of it not even remotely friendly. She did make out the last bit, which was "The lady looks forward to seeing you explain how you sustained a casualty, and had multiple men heavily injured by provoking an attack from the Royal Guard. Remember these words."

While she had been too dazed back then, the next day she realized that Cumore had been threatened into keeping everything a secret. It meant that technically, she could have stayed in the knights. However, by then, the incident had convinced her that something similar was probably in her future if she stayed.

She had decided that she would never return to the knights, the military, or the castle itself under any circumstances.

* * *

Estelle opened her eyes to find the room shrouded in darkness. Apparently, she had slept at least a few hours, well into the evening.

"That's right, that's where things started going very wrong," she said to herself, reflecting on her dream. By now, the mental trauma of the first event felt distant and dulled, but recalling it like that still wasn't something she'd like to repeat often. Before she could think any further, there was a knock on the door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and stood up from the bed. Her body felt far more rested, but after her dream just now, she wasn't in the best spirits.

She mentally prepared to send away everyone it could have been, with the only possible exception being a family who might be looking for a less cramped room to stay in. Since the entire village population had been forced to stay in a small number of large buildings to protect them better, she felt slightly guilty over being given a room all to herself. Granted, this small inn had been claimed by Yuri for this one night and was protected by no one save his traveling companions, but since even the Guild member children were proficient in defending themselves against monsters, this place was at least decently safe.

"Who's there?" she asked before opening the door. It was an old but important bit of common sense to have in the lower quarter.

"It's me," a distinct voice came from the other side.

Estelle frowned. After their fight last night, followed by her shouting this afternoon, she hadn't really expected to see him. She hadn't really liked what she said, but she did feel that he deserved it for putting himself in so much unnecessary danger. "Yuri? What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I'm here to apologize for earlier today," he answered, catching her off-guard. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Estelle rested her head on her arm against the door for a moment, wondering if it really couldn't wait until the morning. In the end, she decided that if he really were serious about apologizing now, she could at least offer him the chance, especially since he was a prince and probably didn't have to do that very often.

"Please wait a moment," she finally replied before turning on the small aer lamp to give herself another glance in the mirror. There was no point in not making sure she at least looked presentable. Then she opened the door. Surprisingly, he was alone.

"Where's Repede?" she asked automatically, before realizing what a stupid and out of place question that was. Even though he and Yuri were close companions, that didn't mean that they always had to be in the same place.

"Asleep," Yuri replied normally, after which he glanced over the room before turning towards her. "Look, I, ah…" he awkwardly began, scratching his head with his good hand. "I'm not used to doing this. In fact, I've never really apologized to anyone for anything since… back then. I just wanted to say that you were right. So sorry for making this so hard for you, and I do like how seriously you take your task of keeping me safe even though you're technically only a civilian."

Estelle was quiet for a moment, trying to gauge how serious he was. When it came to Yuri, it was hard despite she believing herself to be good at reading other people's emotions. Then again, he was so obviously in discomfort that it seemed unlikely that he was bluffing. Now, the hardest part was figuring out what to say. A simple 'all right, you're forgiven' felt a little lame after he had basically told her everything she could have asked for.

"It's… nice of you to say that," she said earnestly. "I didn't want to be too harsh, but I felt like you just couldn't see how hard it was to watch out for you if you keep rushing into things and injuring yourself by using Artes you're not ready for. It's not easy to heal that, even if it looks like that," she finished, pointing at the sling holding Yuri's arm.

"Yeah, so about that… were you really telling the truth when you said this couldn't be healed without me taking a day of rest first?" the prince asked in return.

She allowed herself to smile a little. "No."

"Haha, I guess I had that one coming," Yuri replied, grinning. "Now that I'm forgiven and all, could you _please_ maybe save me from this horrible thing? The white color just doesn't suit me."

"Well, I guess you _did_ learn your lesson…" Estelle mused.

About a minute or so later, Estelle had unwound the sling and inspected the arm again, out of habit. There were at least two full length fractures, and given how painful these healings tended to be, she felt slightly sorry for Yuri. Sure enough, the moment she started the spell was the moment he started biting away the pain. She decided to try distracting him with a conversation.

"By the way, Yuri, what did you mean by that you hadn't apologized to anyone ' since then'? When was that?"

"Oh, that was –AGRH- when my dad died IN THE WAR. Damn that hurts! Well, not died maybe, but he neVER CAME BAck anyway," he finished with difficulty.

"He… never came back?" Estelle asked quietly, suddenly finding herself distracted by the conversation as well. Up until this point, Yuri had said nothing about his parents, and had even actively avoided the subject. Luckily, these types of healing were pretty straightforward, so she could allow herself some leeway.

"He had left for the battlefield. There were some messages that everything went well, and BY THE END, when we started withdrawing our forward units, he just –argh- vanished," Yuri continued.

"I… see," she replied. There were a lot of possible responses, but none of them seemed right. "It must have been hard to lose him, especially at the very end."

"Yeah… you know, he made a promise to me, a promise that he'd be all right," Yuri continued absently. "I was more naïve back then than I an now, but I still think that he should have been fine. He was one of the best swordsmen there were, he was jovial and charismatic and he had a knack for tactics and strategy. He was the ideal commander. Sometimes, I wonder if he didn't desert over to the Guilds: that seemed more likely than that old bastard getting killed in the fighting."

"I'm sure he didn't," Estelle replied automatically, all the while beginning the final step of the healing, which was Aer-fusing the repositioned bones back together the correct way. "But if you don't mind me asking, how does that relate to you not apologizing to anyone anymore? That seems a bit strange."

"Strange?" Yuri repeated, after which he was silent. Estelle shifted her gaze from his arm to look at him directly, and found him staring straight at her. She waited for him to speak, but after opening his mouth, he seemed to reconsider. The silence made her feel oddly uncomfortable, probably because she had the idea that he had been about to tell her something of importance. Then again, what did she really know? Three days of knowing a person weren't even remotely enough for her to be able to read a person reliably enough.

"Well, I mean, I apologize to people all the time, whenever I make a mistake. Sometimes, despite my best efforts, I can't manage to heal a person. It can go wrong," the healer said, shifting her attention back towards the Arte. "Don't you ever make mistakes that hurt others, Yuri?"

"What? No, of course I do! I was just… angry," Yuri immediately replied. "I had been frustrated by the castle life for a while, but when the news came that my dad had disappeared… when Alexei told me, I really started feeling trapped. I was convinced that someone in the castle had set him up. The most likely person seemed Alexei himself, being the one with the most power, but I never was able to find any proof.

Since then I've tried lots of things to find out more, but I kept running into dead ends. Finding out who was behind all the disappearances of my family members was all I was doing. If I'd had my way, I'd have searched the entire country for any sign of him or his men. But no, that wasn't possible for this or that reason, and I had to stay put and study in the lions den like a good, helpless boy," he added mockingly. "It was easy for them to say, as it wasn't their family missing."

He took a deep breath. "I felt like I was in danger, and I was trapped. I tried to find a way out, a way to be elusive, but everyone seemed to work against me. I couldn't really make myself feel genuinely sorry for anyone."

The prince let out a humorless chuckle. "I'm sorry; I'm babbling too much again. All this isn't a subject I like talking about. I guess the reason I'm telling you is because of all our discussions along the way, and since you're going to be gone the day after tomorrow. It's not as if I'd get another chance to talk to you privately."

'_I wonder if that's why he chose tonight to apologize,' _Estelle wondered as she completed her work. _'I wonder if he's going to be all right when I'm gone?' _

Yuri tentatively moved his arm as the Aer channeling stopped. "Good as new," he concluded. "Thanks."

She shook her head. "You don't need to thank me. I couldn't really have you walk around like that, knowing there are assassins after you. I thought you'd at least be safe in Halure for today, with us to watch over you," she added, preemptively answering the most likely next question of why she deliberately hadn't healed him. "And I don't mind listening. But… Yuri, sometimes I feel as if you've kept all this to yourself for too long. Don't you have any friends at the castle you can talk to?"

"No… I only had Flynn and my cousin," he answered slowly. "And I didn't like to saddle them up with my worries. Ioder and I are in the same boat, but _he_ came to _me_ with this first. He was very afraid, and I couldn't really find it in me not to try consoling him. Flynn… was a soldier. I've only known him for a few years, and the first few of those I didn't really trust him completely. Then later, when I did, he got sent away so many times that he was rarely there. I don't have any family, so that only left my head servant as a human option. He's like a surrogate father to me, but at the same time I never feel comfortable enough around him to really talk. In the end, I did have Repede, but he's got a very... strange view of how most things work."

"Couldn't you make any friends among the guards? Or the servants?" she tried.

"No. The first were my jailors, the second were afraid of me. Both of them could have been assassins waiting to stab a knife in my back," came the reply.

"Yuri, that's horrible!" The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. "Being so distrustful against everyone can't be good for you!"

"Yeah, well, I'd like to think that being paranoid is what's kept me, and only me, alive up to this point. I could be the last one, Estelle. The only possible choice for the next emperor, if I only live a few years longer," Yuri replied, walking towards the window. "I don't think you could understand what it's like to be forced to live like that."

The healer frowned at the reaction. "I thought you'd know better, Yuri. Everyone who walks in the lower quarter could be a thief, a cutthroat, or worse. Crime is everywhere, but I still have friends. Without them or their support, I think I'd have… I don't know what would have-"

Yuri raised his hand, stopping her from having to come up with the answer. "I'm glad that you've got such good friends, that you were able to find them. But can you really be sure that would have worked for me? Do you think I could have taken that risk?" he then asked, watching her from a distance.

'I… No… you couldn't. I can't imagine how lonely that must have been, but you're right.'

But she couldn't bring herself to say that. It was just… too wrong, too cruel.

Then Yuri surprised her by chuckling. "You know, I'll miss these conversations when you're gone."

'_You will?' _"Do you mean that you want me to stay?" This time, Estelle was shocked by her own question, even more so than directly criticizing a prince over his way of life. There was no way she could go with him after she recovered the aqua blastia, since too many people depended on it for water. But if there had been a choice…

"No."

Estelle blinked. The answer was plain as day. It wasn't as if she had expected anything else; after all, he wouldn't really need her around when he had Flynn, soda, and two dozen or so soldiers to take over for her, right?

_'But then why do I feel so disappointed?'_

"Y-yes, of course not," she forced a smile. "You'll be fine here with everyone else."

"Don't take it the wrong way," Yuri replied, looking away from her. "I… promised two people that I wouldn't ask you if I had the choice. And you also have your own goal, right?"

She nodded, feeling her disappointment fade a bit with the explanation. It also helped a bit that he didn't sound very happy as he made it, either. "Right."

Yuri grinned again and reached for his coat pocket. "Ok then, Estelle, that only leaves me to do one last thing before I leave. Catch," he said, throwing a bundle to her. She was barely fast enough to grab it before it flew past her. It was surprisingly heavy.

"This is… gald," she said, feeling the coins through the thick fabric of the bag. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Firstly for getting me here safely, but also for all the other things you've done for us," he explained. "None of us ever got to thank you properly for standing up against those knights a few days ago, or got to apologize for the way things turned out for you. All in all, there's roughly two hundred and fifty thousand gald inside. It should be more than enough for you to start any kind of new life wherever-"

*Bonk*

"Um, Estelle?" he resumed, curiously watching her as she stood in her new postion, which was frozen against the wall, her hands clasped over her mouth in sheer shock. She had reflexively dropped the bundle a few paces in front of her.

"Tw-Two… hundred…" she tried, but her voice was unusually high-pitched and wouldn't cooperate. Neither would her mind.

"Something wrong?" Yuri asked, confused. "I really don't think you need to worry. It _is_ more than enough-"

"It's too much!" Estelle cut in, regaining control of her voice, though the words themselves were still tumbling over one-another. "It's enough to buy a few blocks of houses where I used to live! I can't possibly accept this! I-I-Just-"

"You can," Yuri took over, "As it's only money and you've more than earned it." He grabbed the bundle, then walked towards where she was standing. "Take it," he said, holding it out to her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

He sighed, then opened her hand and put the bundle in it, after which he closed it again. "Come on, Estelle. _Please_ just take it. I'd feel really bad about myself if I let you go without making sure you'd be fine. It's the least I could do."

"I… I…," Estelle sputtered, trying hard not to let her emotions get the better of her. She was now rich, richer than anyone in the lower quarter, maybe even richer than some actual nobles were. Had she really earned it over all the other hard-working, honest people in the city? What was she going to do with all this? If anyone knew of it, all the thieves in the country would be after her. But no matter where she was forced to go, she was rich.

She would never be poor again.

The thought made her eyes water and she couldn't stop herself from crying.

* * *

Yuri had no idea what to do.

For the last half minute or so Estelle had been sobbing uncontrollably and it felt _wrong_ to him; wrong because _he _was the obvious cause of it, and wrong because by all accounts, he had figured her to be happy for receiving the money. However, the only thing he had accomplished by giving it to her had apparently been to cause her major distress.

_'But… why? Why did she react like that? It really isn't that much-'_

And then he knew. He wanted to mentally punch himself for not seeing it sooner. He was so used to dealing with money transactions in the millions, or tens of millions of gald that he hadn't considered how someone who was used to having nothing would react to receiving what seemed like a moderate sum of money to himself. It had been easy to overlook as he had found a surprising number of things he had in common with her… but they were still two people with extremely different upbringings, and completely different perspectives.

Adding to that, with everything that had happened to her lately, she probably wasn't in the most stable state of mind she had ever been in. Not that he blamed her; deep down inside, he wasn't either.

Sadly, that insight by itself didn't help him now as he was still left with a crying Estelle.

He was responsible, so he felt that he had to do something to calm her down. But what? The only thing that came to him was to hold her close and console her while doing so, but another part of his conscience was making it difficult for him.

In the last few days, he had been constantly reminded of how pretty Estelle actually was. Even now, while she was crying, with her hair painted and in a slightly messed up guard uniform, he couldn't claim otherwise. It was a kind of modest and subtle beauty, something he found far more endearing than the exotic kind that had been used so often in attempts to seduce him.

He had actually thought he'd become immune to charms in general, up until he had started to notice her. Maybe it was reinforced because she was the only woman he'd met in a very long time that wasn't either scared of or after his position, aside from perhaps a few royal guards who were paid to keep a professional distance.

He shook his head. Just like he had done on the way here, he had tried his best to ignore that feeling. Actually acting on that in any way felt like a perverse use of power to him, since she had been forced to travel with him and had no choice but to see it through until they reached their destination. Then there was also the fact that she'd be gone after roughly four days, and to further complicate things, his best friend had some unexplained relation to her that added a distinct feeling of awkwardness.

Not to mention that he knew absolutely nothing about courting (nothing from his side to someone else, that was) and that she could utterly destroy him the second she felt like doing so, then heal him back up to do it again as many times as she pleased. In a way, as far as his estimations went, she was the most dangerous human he'd ever met aside from Zagi, Flynn and Lisa.

'_Would I be taking advantage of her in any way if I held her right now? …No, I'm only trying to help her calm down, so you just shut up for a moment,'_ he told the problematic part of his conscience.

He could have sworn said conscience responded by laughing at him.

Ignoring it, he stepped closer to her and slowly reached for her shoulder, waiting to see if she would react in any way. She didn't, still sobbing there in the same position.

'_Ok, now I only need to pull her closer…'_ he told himself. Actually putting himself to do it was easier said than done, as some sort of fear made moving his arm very difficult. He could have laughed at the irony of having an easier time fighting a supposedly elite assassin than doing this, though Repede had helped him a lot with that. Not that his dog-centered world view or advice would have helped him now in any way. Although-

'_I'm stalling,' _he realized, thus he took a deep breath and pulled her towards him…

… with way too much force, sending her half stumbling into him. This actually caused her to gasp.

'_You idiot!' _he told himself, among a few other curses. For all her skill and strength, Estelle was a rather petite woman and he had been paying more attention to actually getting himself to move than just how well he finally managed to.

'_Talk! Try covering that up!'_

"Look, it's… um, all right," Yuri said awkwardly, though he couldn't quite manage to look straight into her eyes. She was now actually watching him, which was an improvement over her earlier state, but achieving it made him feel even more hopelessly uncomfortable.

'_I never should have tried this. She would have gotten out of it herself just fine, right?'_

He continued anyway, still trying to look everywhere except into those emerald eyes from _this _close up. "I shouldn't have given that to you like that. I wasn't really thinking about how you would react and given everything that, you know, happened-"

Yuri realized that he was talking much faster than normal, but he suddenly couldn't bring himself to continue. It wasn't that he couldn't find the words, but Estelle had turned her head away and was actually leaning onto him. It came so unexpected that he couldn't figure out what to do, something made even more difficult by a myriad of feelings making a mess out of any coherent thought.

"No… No, It's fine. Th-thank you," she said after a moment, after which she saved him the trouble by gently pushing him away. "It's just -she wiped her eyes with her sleeve- I don't feel like I deserve it… *sob* over everyone else. There are so many good people where I live and they never get rewarded in any way."

Inspiration struck the prince.

"Like I said before, you've really earned it," Yuri replied, very relieved to have some semblance of control back over himself. "But if you're really that bothered about it, maybe you can help me do something very important before we leave tomorrow."

"Something… important? Like what?" she asked, almost sounding like her normal self again too.

"I talked to Flynn and Rita today. I know you don't like them, but I think you should at least hear what they had to say," he began explaining. "Rita is supposed to be a blastia genius, and Flynn met another… um, 'supposed expert' on the blastia field in Aspio. Both Rita and the other blastia mage said that they think the blastia protecting Halure is dead or dying. What I want to try is healing the tree with Artes."

Estelle stared at him for a moment, then chuckled at the idea. "Yuri, there's no way that could work. No one has ever managed to resurrect a person or anything else that one lived from death, and if the tree is dying, you'd need at least a few dozen mages to do that successfully. I'm not even remotely vain enough to think I'd have a chance by myself," she explained.

Yuri only grinned. He knew full well that this was a hopeless endeavor. "Well, let's just say I'm _so_ desperate for a solution that I'm willing to pay you handsomely for giving it an honest try. I'm even willing to do it in advance," He gestured towards the bag with money. "Even if you fail, everything we could learn is valuable."

The healer in front of him shifted her gaze between him and the bundle, then finally let out something between a laugh and a sigh. "All right, you win. I'll try my best in the morning," she said.

Yuri shook his head. "No, I'd like to go now. There won't be anyone around except for maybe Rita, so there's no one to distract you either."

It was a very weak excuse for being able to spend a little more time with her in private.

"Huh? Now…?" she repeated, glancing outside. "But we might run into monsters if we do."

"I'll take Repede with us. And if we do run into trouble, something tells me we'll be just fine," he pointedly nodded at her.

Estelle smiled softly, touched by his confidence in her ability. "Right… I'll get ready and meet you outside."

* * *

Repede knew his master was coming back long before there was a pat on his neck. He wasn't really asleep; he had just pretended to be just so his master could think he had some real time alone with his female. From his position in front of his master's door, it was easy to hear anyone or anything approaching or trying to enter the tavern… and also to hear parts of what his master was discussing with the pink haired warrior.

Up until then, he had figured that his master and she were equals in their interaction, but what he had overheard had convinced him that _she_ had developed to be the dominant one. That bothered him as it wasn't the way nature was supposed to be. He decided to force any of his earlier thoughts regarding his mother's death on hold to focus better aiding his master.

"Get up, buddy, we're going outside," his master told him.

"When the moon is out? Are we hunting, master?" he asked innocently.

"No, we're going for a walk. Just… a walk."

If it hadn't been the slight tremor in his master's voice, it was his body language that would have given away something was wrong. "You do not sound healthy, master," he commented.

"It's not something you'd understand, buddy," his master said softly, all the while putting on his leather armor.

Repede scoffed; his master was clearly underestimating him. Still, he decided not to comment.

"Right, let's go. And thanks for coming with me," he master said, strolling out into the hallway.

"How could I not, master? You need some advice on what you're trying to do," Repede pointed out.

His master immediately turned at him. "What do you mean by that?" He asked sharply as they descended the stairs. Repede never liked stairs: they were needlessly complicated hills to walk up or down. But then again, humans were needlessly complicated in a lot of ways, such as courting.

"You are inwardly yelping about your favorite bitch having to leave the pack," the dog stated. "Is that why we're 'going for a walk' with only her at such a dangerous time of night?" he asked knowingly when she came into view.

"Wait… were you listening in on us?" his master asked under his breath, all the while exchanging a short greeting the female warrior. There was an aggressive undertone in his voice that he was usually missing. Good. He would need that to establish dominance.

"I constantly hear things, master. It comes with being born the way I am," he explained before continuing his task. "You should have taken the opportunity to admire her skin, or to mate. It would have given you a memory to keep, so that you wouldn't need to yelp. Maybe you can convince her to go back inside? It has worked for me in the past."

His master turned to him so sharply that, of course, there was no way his female didn't notice. "Yuri? What's he saying?" she asked.

"Uhm… well… he's happy to see us talking normally again," his master explained, still glaring at him.

"That's not what I said, master," Repede pointed out, confused. It wasn't even close to being accurate. His master was _always _accurate when someone asked him to relay the message.

"Oh, that's kind of him," she replied, after which she patted him on the head. He allowed it as she was his master's female. If another human had tried that, he would have withdrawn or bitten for the hand, since that was a way to establish dominance over him. Since he was honor bound to his master, he wasn't allowed to object.

"We don't know each other well enough, and that's not something a human could walk away from casually," his master then muttered so softly that Repede was convinced the female hadn't heard it.

"Of course not, master; she could walk away with your cub. That is the purpose of life: It's a cycle of mating that never ends. There isn't anything strange about that, and as the male you're supposed to work towards-"

"Yuri, could you maybe ask Repede to stop barking so loud? I don't like to draw any monsters to us if I can help it," the female asked, glancing around the darkened and abandoned streets.

"Good idea. _Please _stop talking, buddy," his master repeated forcefully, with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Repede whined and gave up for now. His master clearly wasn't dominant enough yet to be open to common sense. It was something they'd have to work on for the sake of future females.

* * *

The walk to the tree was uneventful, somewhat to Yuri's displeasure. He had hoped that there would at least be a few monsters to fight along the way; since they had started travelling across the country, he had grown to like the rush of battle, especially since he was convinced that with Estelle and Repede to watch over him, he wasn't in any danger.

Well, at least he did get a chat a little bit more with Estelle, but the idea that he was about to lose such a good friend in roughly a day from now loomed over his mind like the night loomed over the village.

"Looks like Rita's still at work," he commented when the tree came into view. The mage was illuminated by a device she was holing up against the tree, and she so caught up in whatever it was that it was telling her that she didn't notice them at all until Yuri was right behind her.

"Anything new?" he asked, to which she immediately spun around. Whatever she meant to say immediately died off at the sight of himself and Estelle.

"Oh, it's only you," she said, detached. "Don't scare me like that. And no, I don't have anything new. The readings are strange and I still don't know what they mean. To be honest, I'm not even sure if anyone else would make any sense of it."

'_She sounds a bit detached... I guess I might have been a bit too harsh on her earlier today,' _Yuri realized. Well, he'd have time to make up later. The readings were what was really important here, and he would have liked to ask her what was so strange, but he had to admit that his schooling in blastia mechanisms weren't up to the point where he could talk along with Rita. He'd tried before and failed miserably.

"Rita, have really you been working here all this time?" Estelle asked from his left. There was a mix of admiration and horror in her manner of speaking, something he wouldn't have expected given her references to her as 'the thief'.

"Of course I have, miss psycho," Rita scoffed. "_I _don't sleep when there's important work I have to do, especially when blastia are in danger."

"You know, Rita, we came here to help you. You could try being a little bit nicer," Yuri pointed out.

"Nicer…?" Rita repeated, after which she laughed humorlessly. "First I try to save her from getting herself killed by messing with dangerous blastia, then I get stabbed by her. I take the dangerously unstable Aqua blastia with me to Aspio to be able to study it better-"

"Dangerously unstable? What does that mean?" Estelle cut in, frowning.

"It's nothing you'd understand!" Rita shot back before continuing her tirade. "Next, your blond friend blackmails me into coming to this hellhole. Then I meet you, Your Highness, and you threaten to imprison me for life on charges of capital theft and attempted murder if I didn't stay with you. What reason do I have for being nicer!"

Yuri patiently waited on her to finish. "Well, I didn't actually have you arrested, did I? Even though it was well within my right," he replied in earnest. " I'm being very lenient here. Estelle's testimony on the attempted murder was very convincing and matched with the wounds Flynn found on your clothes."

"You-! No, you know what, never mind. I've had it the way all of you treat me. You want to help me fix the blastia? Be my guest," said Rita, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Don't think that I'm going to help you at all. If you want to throw me in prison, go ahead. I now know _why_ you want to keep me with you; it's because you're going to do something very dangerous. There are tons of rumors as to why you're here by yourself, Your Highness, but that's the only thing they have in common. If you dispose of me, you don't have a genius mage to help you out."

Repede growled.

"Look, I don't have a choice," Yuri explained, ignoring another bit of very unhelpful advice from his companion. "Please understand, Rita, what you did was wrong. A lot of people depended on that stone for water-"

"- and you took it away from them without a second thought," Estelle finished for him.

Rita only continued to glare between them. Then finally, she seemed to deflate. "I can't fix this tree. If you have any ideas, I'm open to them."

'_That's probably the closest we'll ever get to an apology.'_

He turned towards Estelle. "It's all yours."

She nodded.

* * *

All of Raven's back screamed out in pain, as hid his legs. The long, uninterrupted journey from Zaphias at the rate his companion had insisted had meant virtually no breaks, and even less actual sleep. There hadn't even been time to properly flirt with at least _one _handsome woman, or girl, along the way.

"This old man is really getting too old for this," he muttered to himself, since he knew that there were no chance at all for any sympathy from the person riding next to him. Even with the damaged cloak and mask, everything about the way from the way he looked to the way he sat screamed that this was an extremely dangerous killer. Emotionless, fearless, skilled, and unwilling to let anything get in his way. He'd seen many like him during his life. Some he had killed himself, some he had trained.

"We're nearing Halure," the man next to him said emotionlessly. "It will be visible when we reach the top of his hill."

"So I take it you've been here before?" he tried humorously, but it was to no avail. Like all other times, the man silently turned his head towards him, not bothering to reply verbally. The contempt oozing from his actions was obvious. Ever since the near-dead red-eye had been saved and had been informed that he was supposed to work with him to get another shot at the target, it had been like that. From the insults, he'd been able to gather that this man held the imperial conspirators responsible for the failure of the initial assassination, though he couldn't guess why.

"If we take into account that they had no horses, what the soldiers seem to indicate, and that they rested regularly, there is a good chance Prince Yuri is still in the town," the red-eye surmised. "It will be too suspicious to come in at night, so we will delay our visit until the early morning. I will then gather rumors to give us an indication of where he is staying. You will find us new horses and determine the best route of escape. As soon as both tasks are fulfilled, we strike."

'_No emotion… no heart.'_

"Right, sure. You make it sound as though it will be the dullest thing ever, assassinating a prince."

"It is no different from any other assassination I have ever done, especially since he has so little protection surrounding him. Don't let his social position distract you from your task," the red-eye commanded. "A kill is a kill. Everybody bleeds."

Raven nodded. He was about to cut off the conversation when he realized that his companion was actually talking for a change, even if it was a mostly one-way conversation. "What about this traitor guy? Do you think this… Zagi character might get in the way?"

"Zagi is a weapon of destruction, but he lacks intelligence. He has no idea of where the target is supposed to be, which is why we will not run into him," the red-eye calmly replied. "At least, if I can really trust that none of your friends have conveniently decided to mention it to him," he added, boring his invisible eyes into Raven's head. Despite his many years of service, it made him want to look away. "I have ample reason to doubt the competence of both the men and the intelligence my allies have provided me," he elaborated.

'_Ouch, now that's harsh.'_

"Hey, how would I know? I'm just along to lend you a good shot with the bow if you-," the older man was about to say 'fail again', but immediately reconsidered, "if you need it."

The man snorted and drew one of his daggers. He then opened a small vial to carefully apply some substance to the blade, which was no small feat from horseback. "I hope so, for multiple people," he simply stated. The threat was obvious.

By now, they had come close to the top of the hill. It was a tragedy, Raven thought, right before the barrier-less town would come into view. A snack for monsters, to be able to conveniently deal with _one _loose end. Perhaps even two, If they would indeed find the prince there. Everyone else counted as collateral. If he'd still been able to take things seriously, this was one of the things he'd have been seriously bothered by.

Suddenly his companion, who had ridden off to scout ahead a bit more, stopped, frozen in place.

"It seems I have one more reason to believe your intelligence is faulty," the man stated. Raven followed his gaze, and his eyes widened in surprise. From the looks of things, the barrier was up and running normally, which was supposed to be impossible.

"When your healer brought me back from death's doorstep, the informer told me I'd normally have been left to rot on the floor, but that Yuri Lowell was proving himself dangerously resourceful," the red-eye stated. "For now, let us assume this is _his _work."

Raven could only nod, even if he felt there were a lot of things that were wrong with that assumption.

"I will not waste this second chance. Let's go."

"Right behind you, Garrote," he mumbled.

* * *

Yuri still couldn't grasp what had just happened. By all accounts, it was an actual miracle, and the re-blooming of the great tree had been a magnificent sight.

However, when Estelle had fainted, he was by her side instantly, relieved to find her seemingly all right. For a moment he'd been afraid that she had put her life-essence into the Arte, or something among those lines, given how well it had worked.

"I KNEW something was wrong with her!" Rita exclaimed, being the first one to regain her voice. "That just now wasn't supposed to be possible!"

From behind him, he could hear murmurs of people, a commotion as civilians and soldiers alike were coming outside to see what had just happened. Soon, they would be here. Yuri's mind raced; he had to make an important decision. Tales of this event would spread wide, heralding whoever had fixed the tree here as a hero. He could still change who would be credited for it.

However, even as he thought it, he knew that there was only one real choice. "Rita!" he called to her, trying to sound as commanding as possible. "_You're _the one who fixed the tree. If anyone happens to have seen this, tell them they were obviously mistaken. Remind them that you're the only one with real expertise on blastia in the town!"

"What? Me? But why?" Rita replied as he picked up Estelle.

"Just do it! I'll explain later!" he called, after which he started moving away from the clearing. "_Please,_ Rita!" he implored her one final time before disappearing, Repede following swiftly.

"Yuri…? What's happening?" Estelle mumbled from his arms.

"You did it," Yuri found himself saying, speeding away further from the clearing. "_You _saved these people. And don't worry; No one will know it was you. No one will try to find you because you stood out." _'Or try to capture you for some twisted experiment to recreate what just happened,_' he thought, instantly banishing the mental image. "It's what you would have wanted, right?"

"…Thanks," she mumbled, after which he stopped to gently set her down.

Even as dozens of civilians raced to the tree, and though he himself would not get nearly as much credit for it as he might have had by staying, he didn't mind at all. What mattered to him was that he knew that he himself had made the difference, even if just by dumb luck, and that he had _really _understood the person next to him when it had mattered.

* * *

"Rita!" Someone called to her. "Rita! What happened? Did you really do it?"

She shook herself out of her daze, and found Flynn and his subordinate standing behind her, being the two most forward persons of a mass of people that was slowly growing behind them.

She realized that this was it. If she wanted to, she could claim Estelle had been the one to do it, which was clearly some way to get back at his Royal Stuckupness, even though she had no idea why he had done what he just did.

"Of course I did it!" she found herself respond. "Well, I did have a bit of help from His Highness, but in the end, I solved it! I told you I could do it!" she grinned triumphantly.

Even as the cheering began, she chided herself on being too soft.

**Author's commentary:**

There's a lot of buildup for an actual romance between Yuri and Estelle in this chapter. While I feel that three days is normally unrealistically short to develop something along this level, they have been through quite a lot of near-death/near-discovery events together, along with some other bonding moments that are either in the tekst or that I couldn't put in yet due to chapter constraints. Next to that, especially from Yuri's POV, Estelle is a very real breath of fresh air. Since they are also going to have to say goodbye soon, there is a deadline for whatever they want to do as well. Finally, out of character, this story is apporaching two years of age and I felt that the time was right to start it.

I thought it was more in character for this Yuri to mess up at least a bit when it actually came down to it, since his experience is quite limited, as he admitted himself. (As a side note, I personally thought that the interaction there was adorable in a way).

I thought it was also improtant to build on the character backstories a bit in this chapter, especially Yuri's. While we still know more about Estelle, there's not a whole lot known about him other than that he's a prince and that he dislikes Alexei. I hope this at least starts him down his path a bit.

I have to admit that I find Rita a bit hard to write. My memories on her involve tons of explosions and angry outburst, and that also seems to be how she is characterised in most other fanfics i've read that include her. However, she does improve over time, and I plan on following that same development path for her.

Starting from here, I'm going to be using more timeskips in order to have a shot at completing the story in a more reasonable amount of time. I think that most of the background between characters at this point is fleshed out enough so that skipping over some of it in future chapters won't be missed.

... Um... review to tell me what you liked? Please?

*Extra note: A helpful review reminded me that there wasn't a real mention of the nan/karol recruitment issue while that was something that caught the most attention in reviews on chapter 10. I wanted to adress that, but I couldn't find a good point in either chapter to insert them (or the scene where they are recruited). If I had more room, I would have, but the chapters were already breaching 11k words each, a limit I didn't want to breach too far. It will be explained in the next chapter.

-Dieuwtjin


	13. Shades of evil

**Brief introduction:**

Hello everyone, and welcome to the new chapter! I haven't been able to write since roughly five months ago, simply because I didn't have a vacation up until now.

In order to try and keep a bit of actual progress, and because there were so many reactions following the last update (the story gained 7000 hits and 25 reviews between the last update and now, bringing it to 25 k/146 total, which feels like a huge accomplishment for a small community. Thanks everyone!), I tried to write two chapters in one go again. Unfortunately chapter 14 is still a long way from being done and while I'll try to complete it this week, chances are good that my vacation runs out before I do, which would cut my writing time back to 0. Posting the chapter solo seemed like the best idea for now, as everyone would at least get something. Again, I will try to get it out soon.

Special thanks go to everyone that reviewed the last chapters. I try to take everyone's advice to heart as I go along, and reactions in general are the main reason that I'm still so motivated to put so much effort into this.

Well, let's get going, shall we?

*Important note: remember that Estelle is still disguised and currently has her hair painted brown.*

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia nor anything else that may be referenced in some way.**

**_Nobility, chapter 13: shades of evil._**

*Roaaarrrr*

Karol screamed in terror, after which he span around with his sword drawn, ready to fight or run away (preferably the latter) from whatever monster had apparently still made it across the re-established barrier…

…Only to find Tiny staring at him with his oversized eyes.

He sighed in relief. "Oh man, I thought you were-"

"Really Karol, what _are_ you doing?" Nan demanded from behind him.

Again he spun around in fright, this time racing to think of an excuse for openly admitting his fear.

"Don't get distracted!" she chided. "Gald doesn't spontaneously make itself when we kill monsters, you know," she continued, after which she pointed at the paper-covered pile of monster parts they had been working on the last two days. It was significantly smaller than it had been two nights ago, but there was still a lot of work to be done. The way things were looking, they'd even have to leave some of their spoils behind.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, Nan!" he sputtered, instantly refocusing on further preserving the eyeballs of the carcass. Truthfully, Karol didn't really understand what people really used all the (in his opinion) utterly disgusting and creepy monster parts for, but he was glad that the things sold so well. It was the major source of income for the hunting blades, next to contracts that were put out on particularly dangerous or annoying types of monsters.

The work wasn't easy for him however, as every time a particularly vicious claw or scythe-like appendage came under his attention, he had to repress the image of being violently torn apart by the type of monster they had belonged to. Whenever that happened, he regretted his choice of joining the hunting blades. Deep down inside he just knew that he'd never be brave enough to really be one. In fact, joining up at all had been a desperation move since he had failed in just about any guild he'd ever been in.

He dared a quick glance at his seemingly fearless colleague, who had been working alongside him ever since the barrier had been repaired by Rita. Before then they had taken turns working and watching the town's surroundings for any signs of impending monster attacks, such as the absence of birds, ever so slight shifts in colour that could occur when certain wolf-type monsters were prowling, downwind sounds of buzzing for insecticides… they knew them all, and they knew them far better than the Knights would. As a hunting blade, it was expected of them. After all, their purpose was to hunt down and kill monsters while the knights were only there to keep people safe (or so they claimed).

He sighed. Well, to be honest, he had a lot to learn. Sure, he knew more than the average civilian or knight, but he wasn't even near the level of the absolutely brilliant hunter that was accompanying him. Among their guild, Nan was known as a child prodigy, which had earned her the right to be trained extensively by their leader, Clint, himself. No such luck for him, of course. In fact, the only reason he'd been allowed to come with them on this mission was because he was to be tested on his value.

Tested on his value by having him hunt eggbears; the thought still made him gulp.

*…growl?*

To his side, Tiny was staring at the covered pile of monster parts. For a moment, Karol wondered if the creature had any sort of idea of how much death it was looking at.

"Um, Nan? Can I ask you something?" Karol asked, trying to get his mind off of the subject.

"What is it?" she replied without looking.

"Well… you know… why did you let me take Tiny with us? I… kind of expected you to … um… kill him along with his parents in the cave," he said. "No-not that I'm telling you that was the wrong thing to do, of course!" he quickly added upon receiving one of her glares. Aside from really not wanting to get on her bad side, he also didn't want to get the eggbear hatchling sliced in half over some poorly chosen words.

"You really don't know?"

"Um… N-no… and It feels even stranger since you usually keep going on about how it's the duty of us hunting blades to kill all monsters and I- well…" he was unsure how to continue.

Nan was silent for a while, staring back across the grassy fields. Finally she sighed. "Karol, do you really think you're cut out to be one of us?"

Karol, caught off guard by the question, narrowly avoided slicing deep into his finger with his carving knife. "Wh-what? Off course I am! Yeah, definitely. Why'd you-"

"I think you're too afraid," she stated.

"W-well… maybe… maybe I'm not as brave as you are, but-"

"Karol, you tried to run from every monster you met along the way unless one of us was right next to you," the far more experienced hunting blade cut in, all the while still not looking at him. Apart from it being true, what made the statement worse was the hint of disappointment with which she had said it.

Karol opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't find the words; what was he supposed to say? Confessing that he was a coward who had joined up only out of sheer necessity didn't seem like something that what was left of his pride would ever recover from. Could he lie about it? Claim that he really was brave for some reason? No, that wouldn't work, maybe if he changed the topic…

… but he didn't manage to find a topic. What made the ensuing silence even worse was that Nan had finally decided to look straight at him.

'_No! There HAS to be a way out! I can't get thrown out of this guild, too!' _he kept telling himself.

*BUUUUUURRRRRP*

Both teenagers blinked and whirled around to find the eggbear hatchling merrily chewing away at a centipede's leg.

"T-Tiny! You already ate just a few hours ago! We can sell that for gald, you know!" Karol cried out in an unnecessarily loud way, causing Tiny to immediately scuttle off in fright. Of course the hunting blade immediately gave chase, lecturing the monster as he went.

It was as good of an excuse to get away from here as any.

* * *

The times Nan hated the most were when there was no action, with no monsters to be hunted and no bartering with merchants to be done. As a monster hunter she enjoyed the anticipation during the tracking, the thrill of the fight, the satisfaction of the kill, and finally collecting her just rewards for helping making the world just a little bit safer. Whenever she wasn't training or out on a mission, she felt as if she was wasting her time.

Now was such a moment.

No matter how much she told herself that watching the surroundings was a task she had to take seriously, she knew that there really wasn't much of a point. Incidents of monsters openly attacking active barriers were highly rare, with the last of those incidents having occurred years ago. Thus, if she hadn't been tired from preserving so many useable monster-parts during Karol's shift, she would have given up scouting to help him go through everything a bit faster.

However, fatigue combined with boredom made her quite a bit more irritable than she normally was, and after watching Karol exit from the scene, she felt slightly guilty for being so blunt and accusing towards him. While it sometimes annoyed her that he got scared so easily on the job, there were also times that she felt genuinely concerned over him. What could have happened that had made him like that…?

She shook her head. No, subtly probing him about it had only made him stutter and run off, just like just now.

'_I don't understand my own guild members... sigh, why did the boss order me to stay here again? I should be out hunting, not protecting someone who's supposed to be an arch-enemy of the guilds!"_

"Well what do these ol' eyes of mine see? It has to be the loveliest image of premature beauty that Raven's been granted in… eh, forever!" a voice sounded from nearby.

Nan gasped and whirled around; whoever that was had somehow managed to get practically right next to her without her even noticing! Sure, she had been bored and distracted, but that was no excuse for a trained huntress! Her hands grasped her massive weapon instantly in case it turned out to be someone who wished her harm, like some imperial citizen that harboured ill will towards a Guild member...

"Hey, easy there darlin'!" the voice responded, and she was surprised to see an old, haggard looking man standing casually in the shades. Still, that meant little, as she knew even harmless-looking monsters could be highly dangerous if you acted carelessly. In her mind, the same went for humans. Well, that, and there was something about this man that made her feel highly uneasy.

"I gave you a compliment on your looks and you draw a weapon on me? Aw heck, youngsters these days; there's just no pleasing 'em" the old man trailed on.

"…What do you wa- no, first, who are you?" Nan asked carefully, not letting her guard down for an instant.

The man shrugged. "Who am I? Oh I do lots of things, but before everythin' else I'm a pleaser of ladies all around the world! You're a little young for my tastes though, so why don't we just settle on that I'm a fellow Guildsman. Let me guess, you're a hunting blade, am I right or am I right!"

"Hmpf. Knowing that doesn't make you one of us. It's not like anyone couldn't have guessed what Guild I was from by the preserved monster remains over there," she countered. "If you're one of us, why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"Ouch, good one," the man admitted, still not having moved from his position. "Well, let's keep it at this. Between the two of you and your friend, I'd reckon you're the more dependable one and the fewer people who know about this, the better! So I'm going to let you in on a little secret. See, I know ya can't be all that happy about old man Clint forcing you to guard some prince who also happens ta be part of the reason so many Guild children lost their parents in the last war."

"What? How-!"

The man only smiled. "Yeah, now about that little secret…"

* * *

"Commander, I've gathered everyone outside as you requested."

Flynn didn't respond; his attention was focussed on his reflection in the mirror. It felt strange, really. Outwardly he looked the same as always: calm, collected and (as he hoped) radiating confidence.

Inwardly he was in turmoil.

In just a few moments, he would reveal to everyone that he was about to leave the unit, no, that he was even about to leave the knights in general. How would everyone react? Would they think he was dishonourable, giving up after so long? Maybe they'd even consider him a deserter, as he was technically directly disobeying orders to return…

…Which was dangerously close along the lines of what his father had done, leaving him and his mother alone for the rest of their lives.

The thought made him grimace and increased his uncertainty of his decision even further. For the umpteenth time he replayed the conversation with Yuri in his mind and tried to determine if he hadn't been falsely tricked or manipulated into this; it wasn't that he didn't trust Yuri to not lie about matters this grave, but bringing someone like Estelle along to mentally unbalance him a bit was right up his alley. Though how could that be, as he was sure he'd never told him about her?

No, in the end he was again forced to conclude that what Yuri had said was the only thing that made sense: that the two of them had met by chance and that everything his friend had said about the severity of the situation was the truth.

"Commander?"

"Oh, right, thanks Sodia," Flynn finally replied, pulling himself out of his musings. He glanced outside and he felt a twinge of pride that everyone had been assembled in full gear so readily despite the very early hour.

Somewhat to his surprise, the female knight didn't leave right away. "Sir… I don't really want to intrude, but what's troubling you?"

"What do you mean 'what's troubling me'?" he inquired, turning towards her. He guessed that more of his mood had to be visible than he'd have thought, since he rarely saw Sodia look so worried either.

"Look Commander… Flynn…" The higher-ranking knight blinked; hearing her use his name directly was highly rare. "Why are you so tense today? The last time I saw you like this was back in the war," his second-in-command pressed on.

Seeing her look at him directly in the way that she did made him feel… strange. For some reason he felt a bit guilty for not informing her earlier, even if technically it was supposed to make no difference. Well, it was too late now, anyway.

"I'll tell you when we get outside. Come on."

* * *

"Yesterday, Prince Yuri brought me news that I'd been dreading for quite a while. I can't tell you here openly what it is, but suffice to say that the corruption among the knights is even worse than I'd imagined. The fact that _we_ were sent here without _any_ backup when Deidon hold and Aspio were both far more capable to help is, by itself, all the proof I needed to settle my remaining doubts on things."

Flynn closed his eyes. "So, that said, I've decided to l-"

"Flynn!"

He blinked. _'Was that… Yuri?'_

The commander immediately whirled around to find his friend and the two Guild children running towards them. "Yuri, what's-"

"Get everyone ready to move out. We're leaving the town right now," the prince commanded upon his arrival. Flynn immediately ignored the feeling of awkwardness that came with being directly ordered to do something by his best friend; anything that got Yuri as tense as he currently was had to be very bad news.

"What? Why? What are you talking about?" Flynn asked, steeling himself for whatever was to come.

"There's a huge group of knights coming here from Deidon hold!" the girl next to his friend responded. What was her name again? He was sure Yuri had mentioned it yesterday…

"And we know what that means," Yuri took over. "Now that we've survived their death trap, chances are they're coming here to finish the job themselves."

Flynn's initial reaction was one of shock; even with all the corruption going on, Yuri claiming that the knights would go as far as to outright murder a group of their own seemed a bit of a stretch. Of course, these _were_ the imperial knights they were talking about and with everything that had happened recently…

As for his men, they were surprisingly stoic upon receiving this news, showing no other outward reaction than muttering a few unpleasantries under their breaths. With all that had happened, he couldn't blame them for feeling very bitter towards the knights of the surrounding towns and their superiors, since they had basically been left to die here. Even now their discipline was still highly adept, Flynn concluded with a pride.

Rather than the commander, the first one to break the semi-silence following this proclamation was the boy. "Wait a moment, Pri-Yuri, is that why you were so worried? You're kidding, right? I mean, there's no way we'd get attacked by your own subjects... right? I-I mean, you're their leader, their 'Don'! You can just command them to stop, right? Right…? Um…" he trailed off, seeing everyone was watching him with grim expressions.

"Yeah, about that, most of the knights and I are kind of on bad terms with each other. I'm pretty sure they want me dead since me being alive is in the way of their commander taking over the empire in the long run, "Yuri stated dryly, patting Karol on the shoulder as he did. This proclamation also caused quite a bit of hushed conversation around them. "So no, no such luck. Good idea though, guardsman Karol."

"But that's hor-!" the boy began.

" It's not important right now," the prince continued before turning back to Flynn. "What _is_ important is making sure we get ourselves out of here as quickly as possible."

"…Before we get into that, are you _sure_ that's true? How do you know they're coming, and how do you know it's them?" the now ex-knight replied, going over the standard queue of questions for emergency situations.

The girl crossed her arms and looked up at him with an air of indignation. "Of course I'm sure! The clouds of dust on the horizon are a dead giveaway; the group is too big for a pack of monsters at day, and it's coming directly to the south, where Deidon hold is located. Everyone knows monsters tend to avoid roads and roam more along the forests or mountains. And lastly, why would a group of monsters be coming straight at a city protected by a barrier from that far away? It doesn't make sense."

'_I guess that seems reasonable, but something's bothering me…' _

Flynn glanced over his soldiers, who were looking at him expectantly. They were waiting for orders even though he officially wasn't their commander anymore. Technically he didn't even have the right to make any decision at this point, meaning they should have been looking at Sodia instead. No, it was probably better to put it aside for until this issue was resolved. "Didn't we have scouts of our own posted outside of the barrier?"

"Sir! We couldn't see anything unusual right up until you summoned us here," Chastel answered swiftly, leaving the unspoken accusation hanging in the air.

"Hmpf, I'm the one of the best trackers in the Hunting Blades. I don't miss things you knights would miss," the girl stated. She said it with such conviction that she was either indeed highly skilled, or…

'_An extremely good liar,'_ Flynn inwardly finished. "You know, Yuri, I don't want to imply anything, but my scouts are pretty good as well and I'd take their word over the one of someone I don't know at all. Rushing out of here in broad daylight without having scouted the path first, and for no other reason than the word of a stranger, just feels as if we're walking into a trap."

"W-What? Nan's the best tracker there is in our Guild! There's no way she'd be wrong about this! If she says so, then the knights are coming!" the boy next and slightly behind her suddenly chipped in.

"You're the one who wanted us to come!" the girl took over, addressing Yuri. "And now that I see something dangerous, you're just going to ignore it? Well, I didn't want to be here in the first place, so if you're not leaving, we'll go by ourselves, right Karol? I'm not going to stick around for the knights."

"Wha-! Oh, Y-yes, of course we aren't!"

*growl!* came a sound from nearby, and it was then that Flynn became aware of a very small creature that had apparently been hiding behind the boy. Was that the eggbear hatchling? It looked far too… harmless and cute for something that was bound to one day become a vicious man-eating beast that could easily rip fully armoured knights to shreds. Had that been there the entire time?

'_Well, it's not like it's dangerous now, and I need to resolve this first,'_ he thought to himself.

Flynn locked eyes with Yuri. There was only one question to ask, being 'are you willing to risk it?', and Yuri nodded before he even asked. "I have this feeling that we can trust them. And to be honest I'd rather pick leaving early over staying regardless. It's a lot easier to shake off whoever is out to get us if we're already moving."

The soldier nodded grimly. "I don't like this, Yuri, but you have a point. If this turns out to go bad and we have to fight either here in the city or on the field, at least we won't have to worry about civilians out there."

'_But I still need to tell everyone that I can't be in command anymore… right?'_

"Um, everyone, before you go, I'd like to finish what I came here to say," Flynn managed. "With everything that happened recently I found myself unable to continue serving the knights with a clear conscience, so I wanted to-"

"Don't worry, commander!" Hisca suddenly cut in. "We're with you to the end!"

Flynn blinked, and then blinked again. _'Sorry?'_

"We're also tired of being sent all over the place, and the knights clearly don't care about us," Chastel took over from her twin sister. "There's no way we're going back, so if you're going with the prince, so are we! Right, everyone?"

"Right!"

"Of course!"

"No one will separate us from you, commander!"

"Obviously we're coming with you," Sodia joined in with the chorus of agreements. Since she was in the front, she was easier to hear than most of the others. "Wait, you _were _going to ask us, weren't you?" she continued, and Flynn found himself taking an involuntary step backwards under her questioning glare.

"Er, well, everyone, you see… I am basically switching sides from the knights to the Royal guard and I wouldn't expect everyone-" Flynn tried.

"Ok, that settles it. All of you are now formally enlisted! Welcome to the Royal Guard. Oh, and you guys can skip the oath part until later," Yuri proclaimed from right next to him, cutting him off. Much to Flynn's chagrin, this was followed by more cheers.

"What! Yuri, they have no idea how much trouble we're in, or how dangerous this is!" Flynn whispered angrily from the corner of his mouth. "You're taking away their chance of walking away from all this!"

"I think I made it pretty clear by bluntly telling them that the knights are probably out to kill everyone here, including me," Yuri whispered back. "And didn't they all say that they would be with you until the end? You're not going to ruin this happy moment of unity for them, are you?" he added smugly.

"I- but- this is-"

"Commander, if we're going to leave the town, we shouldn't waste much more time," Sodia interrupted.

Flynn took a few seconds to gather his wits. "Ok… Ok, assign a number of soldiers to gather whatever gear we have that's still in the inn. I want a few lookouts to look for signs of the approaching knights. Also, we need a few men to ready the horses for a long trip to the northeast. Everyone else… probably knows what to do."

A few moments later, Flynn and Yuri were alone again.

"Are you really that surprised that they decided to come with you?" Yuri then asked.

"I can't say it doesn't feel strange to see that all of them would instantly give up their chances at reaching a higher rank in the army," Flynn answered. "That's not what's really bothering me though..."

"Hmm?"

"It's just that I've never lost someone under my command since the end of the war. This whole mess... I don't think I'll be able to get everyone through it alive. It seems too much to hope for, no matter how well commander Niren instructed me before he retired."

"They made the same choice we made," Yuri said, turning away to glance at the sunrise. "And given how well they held out here, I'm sure they can take care of themselves well enough. Next to that, what do you think would happen to the ones that went back? It's obvious the higher ups don't exactly value their lives. It should be safer for both us and them by having them travel along with us."

Flynn was silent for a moment. "I hope you're right."

* * *

On a nearby rooftop, Garrote carefully weighed his options. Now that Lowell and Scifo were alone, the chances of a direct assault working had gone up drastically. They were still oblivious to his presence, as were all of Scifo's subordinates. Getting to his vantage point on this highly-overgrown building had been easy considering that the sergeant had summoned ALL of his underlings to address them directly.

He reckoned that Scifo would never have been so careless if he didn't think himself free from imminent danger. It was a reasonable assumption, but a flawed one. It would even have been a fatal one if it hadn't been for the fact that Scifo was a supposedly highly accomplished fighter; rushing up to the two of them headfirst in an attempt to quickly kill Lowell would be risky.

Additionally, if the healer accompanying the prince was somewhere nearby, it could even be practically impossible to accomplish. He had heard numerous rumours from his allies concerning her skill in both combat and restorative magic, and until proven otherwise he had to take her presence as another serious liability. It was likely that she was resting in the Inn behind the prince and his friend, which could put the time until her interference anywhere between a minute and just a few seconds; probably the same amount of time it would take the other soldiers in the inn to act.

No, the direct assault was too much of a gamble. For now.

Another option was to attempt a long range throw to kill the prince with a poisoned dagger. However, from this distance of roughly 40 yards, there was a very realistic chance he would miss, which in turn would put the prince on very high alert for at least the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if he _did _managed to hit Lowell at range, even if the initial injury would not kill him instantly, it would leave him with only a short amount of time before the poison would. That amount of time _did _depend on where he would hit the prince, which made planning around the possibility a bit difficult.

Would Scifo or Lowell be quick enough to counteract the poison, if either of them even had the ability? What if he _did _rush them after such a hit? Wouldn't that reduce the risk of them dealing with the poison to an acceptable level and would he manage to escape afterwards?

Maybe, and maybe not. However, the presence of both that healer and other enemy soldiers nearby made it less of a gamble he wanted to take. Perhaps if he had been more talented with a bow...

He shook his head. The old pervert could have taken the shot if he had been with him, but he wasn't. No sense spending time on wishful thinking.

Since they were leaving shortly, there was no time to set up a more proper assassination in the village, which left the options of striking on the road or trying to reach their obvious destination of Aspio beforehand and setting up a trap. The latter was far safer than the former and provided him with... interesting opportunities.

First, he wanted to learn why the hell the knights had decided to show up now after sending him on this mission, because it was the second time their actions would directly cause his efforts to fail, as far as he was concerned. What was all this about, and what did they hope to gain? Was it really a direct assault? Maybe a ploy to drive the prince into a trap on the open fields?

_'Based on what I've seen so far, I'll assume this is just another move of stupidity. Couldn't they have given me at least one damned extra day? Concerning the knights as a whole though, there has to be a way to use them to my advantage. What if I told the garrison at Aspio what happened here before Lowell got to his destination? I'm sure they wouldn't react very well to the news that all of Scifo's unit deserted to the royal guard in the middle of an ongoing mission. What would they do?_ ' He wondered as he quietly climbed down the back of the house, after which he disappeared into an alley. Knowing how corrupt and false the knights tended to be, he was sure that would somehow make life difficult for the prince, regardless of their course of action.

Not striking now also gave him the opportunity to gather some more information in the village concerning the soldiers travelling with the prince, especially of that healer, Heurassein. Even if the only thing he learned was what she looked like, that would be worth the effort. All he knew right now of her appearance was that she had pink hair and was attractive, which was as good as nothing; he highly doubted a woman in her position wouldn't try to conceal something as eye-catching as bright pink hair, and 'attractive' was a very broad term. He needed to see her figure, or better yet, her face, and imprint it in his mind.

While he considered Heurassein a secondary target, removing her would remove a large obstacle in killing Yuri, again if the rumours were true. He could foresee it being necessary to kill Scifo beforehand as well, preferably on the same night he would kill Lowell and Heurassein, to prevent any warnings beforehand. It would require some very strict planning but he had done similarly complicated set-ups in the past.

_'Although, if I happen to find either Heurassein or Scifo in a moment of weakness, it might be worth the risk. Everyone has a weakness. Didn't they say that Heurassein is the 'incurable do-gooder' type? And I find it hard to believe that Scifo doesn't have any personal feelings towards any of his female subordinates; that would be very unnatural after years of dangerous service together. Someone is probably sleeping with him regularly. I'm sure the locals are more than willing to tell me everything they know about 'their heroes',"_ he mused as he emerged on the street in his civilian clothing.

None who saw him knew just how dangerous of a man was walking amongst them.

* * *

It was dark in Ioder's cell.

Without any sort of window or visible connection to the outside, there was no way to tell exactly how long he had been here. The only measure of it he had to go by was how many times he had fallen asleep already, which was eight. Of course, each of those times had been from exhaustion, since he half expected anyone to enter the room to kill him regardless of his political value.

For the umpteenth time he tried to reassure himself that there was no way they were going to finish him even after keeping him alive for so long after the mutiny, but the harder his logic tried to convince him, the more stubborn that feeling of terror resisted. That feeling had held him ever since the day each of his guards had died or betrayed him.

He wished that he had had something to do down here but there was no light and no company. No distractions coupled with the fear made him relive those horrible images over and over; images of a ship approaching theirs, upon which a number of royal guards had brutally turned on others, leaving blood and gore everywhere. While he had seen one or two battlefields in the past, the sight of soldiers being dismembered right in front of him had made him throw up on the spot. The fight had been resolved quickly when the ship had been boarded by those strangely cloaked and masked men, who had slain all the remaining opposition with a certain grace and effortlessness which had made the situation even more horrible.

One of them had approached him, and just as he thought he was going to get stabbed to death, he had been drugged instead. The only things that stood out afterwards were sounds of laughter coming from some of the traitors, nauseating and nightmarish disfigured images of corpses, the ship, a port, a large building, and finally the strange masks through which red eyes had been watching him, bearing barely concealed anger.

When he had truly regained his senses, he was in this room, alone. As far as he knew, he was the only non-traitor from his ship that had survived. No one had talked to him since; in fact, the only sounds that sometimes reached him were screams of terror and pain coming from somewhere in the vicinity. It didn't take much of his imagination to know that people died here regularly and probably in sick and painful ways.

The door to his cell was opened only rarely, each time to push a tray of food into the room. It was always carried by one of those red-eyed men, and though they were always silent, something in their manner towards him always gave him the idea that what they wanted nothing more than to cut his throat to be done with him.

Who were these men and who were they working for? Had this been a set-up? If so, what did they hope to gain by keeping him here? Something about the way these people dressed seemed vaguely familiar, but he just couldn't remember properly; were they terrorists? Some secret order of Guildsmen looking for Don Whitehorse himself? And how did they get help even from INSIDE the royal guard?

...If this was to be his current position, was his cousin Yuri safe?

There were so many questions, and every explanation he came up with had at least one major flaw he could not explain. Was the goal war? A ransom from his house? Or just to capture a trophy for the Don as a revenge for the last great war?

The door suddenly opened, and he barely had enough time to reflexively stand up. His vision was obscured, as even the relatively dim light in the hallway behind seemed blinding to him. After it had adjusted, he saw a red-coated man with a strange ball of metal for a left hand leering at him.

Every muscle in his body tensed.

"So you're the catch that all the boys have been talking about," the man said. "I was pretty excited when they told me how they got one of the two remaining princes under our control: stories about the tougher imperial nobles like old Lowell are still told among the Guilds, after all."

He took a few steps closer. "But when I look at you, some little boy cowering before me in this shithole of a cell, it feels pretty disappointing. Heh, just from looking at you I can see you wouldn't even last a day among my crew."

_'So at least the Guilds are involved somehow...' _Ioder realized, though he didn't know what to say. This was the first man who had spoken to him in days; was he here only to insult him?

The man sighed. "Not going to talk, are you? I guess I shouldn't have expected better from a spineless pipsqueak. I-"

"I-If you're here only to gloat, I'd appreciate it if you left now," Ioder blurted out before realizing what a dumb mistake this was.

To his surprise, this evoked a laugh from the man. "Oh really? Then just maybe there's a bit of fight left in you, which is a good thing; you'll need that to survive where you're going," he said, after which he glanced around to the door. Ioder tried see what he was looking at, but the man's imposing figure and the lighting made it difficult to determine.

"Let me introduce myself properly; my name is Barbos," he stated.

The next moment, Ioder felt an intense pain on the side of his head, and it wasn't until he had landed on his side on the floor that he realized how hard he had just been hit in the side of his head.

"Barbos-," another voice sounded from the hallway.

"Heh, don't worry; I was holding back and this brat needs to learn some respect," the man replied, after which he knelt down next to Ioder. "You see kid, I'm the leader of the Blood Alliance and I don't like being interrupted in the way you just did."

Ioder, in turn, struggled get back up despite the dazed sensation working against him. "Just this once though, I'll forgive you and consider this our proper introductions. As a blood alliance custom, I managed to draw blood from you in one motion upon our first meeting. Think you can do the same to me? I'm completely open right now."

_'What in the name of...'_

"Y-You can't be serious! Are you insane?" Ioder managed to say through the pain.

"Insane? No kid, I'm as sane as they come. I'll tell you what's _really _insane though; here in the Guilds, you become a leader because you're strong. Back in your place, you become a prince because someone in your family, hundreds of years ago, was declared to be a noble for whatever reason. Do you think you have the right to be who you are because of what that guy managed to do?"

Barbos pulled Ioder up close with his remaining hand. "Do you?" he repeated.

The prince's mind raced. This man was clearly not sane in the normal sense and obviously had some problem with the empire's nobility. However, he wasn't convinced that just giving him what he likely wanted to hear was the right thing to do. "I... don't know. I've never... thought about my position in that way," he replied truthfully.

Rather than commenting on his answer, Barbos threw him roughly into the wall headfirst. This time, the pain caused him to drop to the floor and for some reason he couldn't get himself to stand up anymore. Everything seemed... dull to him, and he felt nauseous.

"Spineless like I thought," the large man commented.

"Barbos! That's enough!" Ioder heard from far away. Was it... a woman?

"Pfah! You really are too soft, Mutilate. I can see why you and Garrote failed to kill Lowell. They should have just sent-"

_'No... 'Failed to kill Yuri'? That means he's also in danger...''_

"Don't push your luck with me," the woman replied threateningly. "I already regret the decision of introducing you to him prior to the transport. Don't assume we can't get someone else to do it!"

There was a long period of silence in Ioder kept trying to prevent himself from vomiting. Strangely, as the seconds grew by, he felt parts of his body grow increasingly numb and his hearing and vision were gradually growing worse.

"...kid, waiting on something... delivered to me. Then... come along..." the man's voice told finally him, though the words didn't make sense.

He tried to respond, but couldn't bring himself to talk properly.

"Idiot...at him! Bleeding...!"

The last things Ioder was aware of were two red eyes watching him from up close, followed by something cold being put on his head.

* * *

"Boys will be boys," Hisca said to her twin.

"Right, that's the... sixth time Yuri has lost in a row?" Chastel remarked, seeing the prince slowly pick himself up again. "But is it just me, or is he actually putting up a bit of a fight this time? What do you think, Sodia?"

"Hmmm," The second-in-command replied while drinking some water from her field bottle.

"I said-"

"Yes I heard, and you're right. He's fighting better than he did last week. He fought pretty well when we went to rescue Flynn too, even going into overlimit while I never knew he was able to do that," the higher ranking soldier clarified. "Despite that though, I'd still say he has a very long way to go before being able to match the commander."

After riding without any lengthy breaks for an entire day and night, they had finally stopped at the base of a hill. There had been no visible signs of any knights pursuing them, and even the small Girl had said that they should be safe for now, not to mention that she looked far more relaxed. While Sodia was somewhat relieved that they apparently had shaken off the coming knights, Nan's overall behaviour seemed to get more suspicious the more she thought about it. Had there really been knights coming at them? Well, she wouldn't press the girl for an answer as long as the commander decided to trust her.

In their makeshift camp, some had gone for a quick sleep while some others took care of the horses. There was a small group of people studying a map while those who wanted to were practising swordplay, archery and artes in a grassy area which was partly shielded from view by the hill. To the surprise of few, one of the couples duelling consisted of Yuri and Flynn.

Sodia refocused her attention towards the latter of the two, who was making an exaggeratedly friendly inviting gesture towards the prince. Yuri, in turn, was grinning broadly as he re-assumed his fighting stance. The sight made her smile; there was something so cute and heart-warming about their mock rivalry...

"Hello? Terca Lumines to Sodia?" Hisca said, waving her hand in front of Sodia to draw her attention.

She blinked. "Huh? What?"

The red haired twin tilted her head slightly to the side, watching her thoughtfully. "We were just talking about how Yuri could have gotten stronger so quickly when you just zoned out. If you're tired, maybe you should get some sleep while you can. Or..."

"...maybe you're not tired at all, but just daydreaming about the commander?" Chastel took over, smiling at her in a knowing way. Sodia hated that kind of look; first it nearly always made her blush and nervous even if she hadn't been doing anything of the sort, and whenever she _did _manage to keep a straight and innocent face she was never able to convince either of them with it. Maybe she would have had better luck if the three of them hadn't been friends and comrades-in-arms for so long.

She tried anyway. "I wasn't-"

"Your face is telling us a different story," Hisca pointed out as expected. "It's really too easy to read you at times."

Sodia sighed irritably. "It's not like the commander is the only thing on my mind! I was just thinking about how... well... cute it can be; the way those two treat each other."

"'Cute?' You don't think they're into each other, right?" Hisca replied, obviously sceptical.

"N-No, I just mean, well, they've been through a lot of things together since they became friends, and even though they're from completely different environments they can still get along so well. Don't you find it... I don't know... cute so see them playing around like this?"

The red-haired healer laughed. "I can't really deny that, but I can't help feeling as if you sound a bit envious towards Yuri? Wouldn't _you_ want to be the one who was closest to Flynn? To have most of him for yourself to fulfil your deepest, darkest-"

"Hisca, don't tease her like that. You know she doesn't like it when you go into that area," Chastel cut in. Sodia silently thanked her for the chance to at least slightly recompose herself.

"Oh, sorry about that, Sodia," Hisca replied, though she didn't sound sorry at all. "It's just that I've always kind of found it strange why you never tell him how you feel, even when it's pretty obvious to us. What if someone else beats you to it and he doesn't turn her down for once?"

"But I did! I keep on giving such obvious hints and he never ever seems to pick any of them up, or at the very least he never acts on them! If he had an interest in someone else I'd understand, but..." Sodia trailed off, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard that. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I- I obviously love him and yet he never ever seems to notice me in that way. He never even told me he wasn't interested or that he didn't like my attempts to get closer to him. It's like I'm not even there at all and it... hurts a lot, Hisca," she continued solemnly, turning away from them.

"...Well, I know what would at least get a reaction from him," Chastel remarked after a short period of silence.

"Really? Like what?" her sister replied while Sodia kept a lot of negative feelings in check.

"Remember that time when we were still In Commander Niren's unit? When we were still struggling how to use blastia properly and were training to become healers?"

"Wow, that's quite some time ago... let's see, three or maybe four years now?"

"Almost, yes. It was before you joined us, Sodia," Chastel continued. "Back then, Flynn got into a bar fight with some Guild members in one of the outer cities where we were stationed."

"Really? That doesn't seem like something he would do," Sodia replied, trusting her voice enough to rejoin the conversation.

"I never said it was the commander's fault; I think those Guild members somehow knew that his father had been a famous knight and that they tried to provoke Flynn into fighting by insulting him," Chastel explained. "Anyway, he managed to beat them all up almost by himself, and he got off with only a minor head injury. It still needed to be treated though, so I was called in to handle it afterwards."

"Haha, I see where you're going with this," Hisca cut in, obviously amused by something.

"Yes, well, back then I was still a beginner, so I wasn't really thinking about... some practical things yet," Chastel continued, this time blushing slightly. "When I came into the room, he was sitting on a couch adjacent to a wall. What I should have obviously done was to ask him to sit down somewhere else, so that I could have had easier access to the wound on the back of his head, but I was so focussed on making sure I would do the healing arte well that I went right to it."

She paused briefly. "So I sat down in right in front of him, and then I tried to pull his head down enough for me to reach that wound. The commander was a lot taller than me back then too, so it was... um.. pretty hard, and he also kept struggling for some reason I couldn't understand then. Afterwards, he kept on avoiding me during trainings for reasons I couldn't understand. I always thought he thought I had healed the wound poorly, but during the war he finally told me that he found his head shoved into my... chest and was just too shy and embarrassed to tell me then. He's always been a bit awkward around me ever since."

Sodia couldn't help laughing at the image. She had to admit that she felt slightly better after Chastel's obvious attempt to cheer her up a bit. "Haha, thanks for the advice, but I somehow doubt even doing something like that would work at this stage."

"Hey sis, I just remembered something..." Hisca said, frowning. "Do you remember? Back then, I'm pretty sure Flynn actually had a girlfriend."

"Hisca, that's NOT what Sodia wants to hear right now," Chastel hissed under her breath.

"What? No, please tell me! What was she like?" the higher ranking soldier found herself asking, intrigued. This was the first time she'd ever heard of him actually being in some kind of serious relationship.

"Well, I think I only saw her twice, and I only talked to her once. She was this beautiful pink-haired girl, and she had come to see him during her leave. She was also enlisted in the military and she and Flynn were childhood friends If I recall correctly. They were so happy to see each other back then; if only I could remember her name..." Hisca finished, digging deeply into her memory.

"She was also in the military? But I've never seen anyone like that ever since I joined this unit," Sodia commented.

"Neither have I," Hisca clarified. "I've never seen her once during or after the war."

"I never heard Flynn talking about such a person either, but he _was_ always reserved about his private life," Chastel mused. "Oh... do you think she might have died in the war then? That would have been devastating for Flynn," she added solemnly, not really wanting to think about that possibility.

"That would explain why he would be very hesitant to get personally involved with someone from his unit," said Sodia. "Other than the military rules forbidding such endeavours outside of spare time, of course," she added. Then again, she felt like she was entitled to ignore that as long as it didn't affect her performance, simply because she practically never had any free time and was always on-duty. "Maybe I'll try asking him about her once."

_'If she died, I'd feel sorry for the both of them. Why hadn't Flynn ever mentioned her if she had been someone important to him? Or maybe we have it wrong and there was nothing between them in the first place?'_

The three of them watched another duel between Yuri and Flynn before Sodia stood up. "I should be going; why are we spending so much time gossiping as if we're a bunch of schoolgirls, anway? I'm not tired and I'm sure there's something useful I can do around the camp."

Before she could move away though, Chastel put her hand on her shoulder. "We're talking about this because we're just as normal as everyone else, and just as allowed to have feelings. Sometimes I have the feeling that you're too serious to really come to terms with that. This is something that's obviously been bothering you for a long time and ignoring it would just negatively affect you."

Sodia had no asnwer to that.

"So are you going to see Flynn then?" Hisca asked her, not at all unkindly.

"No... No, I want something _useful_ to do. Maybe I'll try talking Estelle. There's something I've been wanting to ask her for the last few days, but I Just never had the opportunity ever since we fought that horde of monsters together to save Flynn."

"Really? Like wha-" Hisca began, before her eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, you're going to ask her to stay with us longer, right? Good idea! She's a really nice person and she knows LOTS of things about healing in general!"

"It always felt like a bit of a waste that she was going to leave us so quickly," Chastel went on. "She's proven to be surprisingly useful to the unit, for a civilian, that is. Now that we're all Royal guards, maybe she'll consider it."

"Yes, maybe," Sodia agreed. "I'd like to get to know her a bit better before I formally make the offer, though. Here goes nothing," she said as she left.

* * *

As it turned out, Estelle wasn't very hard to find. As the only one of the group dressed in a black and gold royal guard uniform, she did kind of stick out of the crowd. She had situated herself in the shadow of a large oak and was reading from a reasonably large book. However, as Sodia drew closer, she could see that the other woman was frequently casting a worried look over to the 'training area'.

"Um, Estelle? Do you mind if I sit down here for a moment?" Sodia began.

"Huh?" the brown-haired guard replied, after which she shifted her attention away from the fight she had been watching. "Oh, it's you, Sodia. No, please do. Can I help you with anything?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. I didn't really get much of a chance when the four of you arrived in Halure at night, and when we were racing to get to Flynn afterwards. And then you were constantly working with the healers to tend to the wounded civilians from the monster attacks..." she explained. "So first and foremost, thanks for all the help you've given to us and the civilians."

"Thanks, but you don't really need to thank me. I helped because I wanted to, and we made it through not only because of me. Nan helped a lot in the fight, and so did you. Yuri... well, at least drew a lot of attention, and even Repede and Karol were useful in their own way. I'm sure Hisca, Chastel and the others could have handled all the wounded almost as well, too; it would just have taken them a bit more time," Estelle replied.

"Well, I was glad to have you with us regardless," Sodia countered, determined to give her at least some credit. "You really showed us how royal guards are supposed to handle things," she continued, after which Estelle for some reason looked a bit sad. "Nan might be skilled, but she's just a child and I can't say I really trust her yet. And Yuri also still isn't up to our level, even though he's somehow become a lot better over the span of the last week."

"...They didn't train him very well," the healer stated absently, looking out towards the training field again.

Sodia blinked, following her gaze. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Yuri," Estelle clarified, watching him as he barely managed to parry a powerful trust from Flynn. "He told me he'd been trained to fight ever since he was old enough to understand, but they never taught him anything more than the basic techniques of actual combat. He also knows next to nothing about the actual use of Aer, and, as far as I can tell, no one has ever instructed him on some more advanced but vital sword forms either; it's like they deliberately messed it up."

"... You're right," Sodia agreed, watching as Yuri gradually lost his balance from an incoming barrage of trusts and swings. "They didn't ever teach him; most of what he knows comes from their sparring sessions, or that's what he told me. The commander never had enough time to train him up to actual level of someone in the unit, though; we were always being sent out to fight. What I never understood is why the Royal guard never took the time to do it properly; their captain... our captain is supposed to be a legend when it comes to swordplay."

It was still a bit hard to get used to the idea that they were now all royal guards; maybe they hadn't been inaugurated in most official way, but they still were a part of it.

"I think it's because Lisa didn't want to develop a teacher-student bond with him, as it might have gotten in the way of her judgment on other things relating to his safety," Estelle mused. "At least, that was the only explanation that made sense to me. That still doesn't explain why someone else from the guard never did, however. Hmmm..."

"So, if Yuri's been with you for the last week or so and he suddenly got better, does that mean you tried to train him yourself?" Sodia asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Well, I did try to teach him what I could on short notice," the healer said. "He has a lot of potential, but he's also very reckless. There were times where I thought he was deliberately not doing his best to copy what I was showing him. It was frustrating, but also a bit... fun at times; to see him actually trying to use it against monsters, I mean," she finished, smiling softly. "I just hope he doesn't break his arm so often when I'm gone, as healing that becomes harder each time it does without a proper period of rest."

_'Wait...'_

"So it's true then? You're really going to leave soon?" Sodia asked. Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, she also felt that Estelle was a very pleasant person and a valuable soldier. Seeing her leave so quickly felt like a waste.

"I... have to. My situation is complicated," Estelle explained. "The reason I'm really here is to get the stolen aqua blastia back from Aspio, and then deliver it back home. I'm from the lower quarter and many of the people there depend on it for clean water. After I do that, It would probably be best for me to disappear as I've been officially sentenced to death."

"You what! What did you do to deserve that?"

"I tried to stand up against a group of obviously corrupt knights, and I... managed to do it. They simply wanted me out of the way after that and I was only a common lower quarter inhabitant, which made it a lot easier to do, according to Yuri," she added in obvious sadness.

"I'm not actually a proper royal guard either," she continued. "Up until last week I was just a healer in the lower quarter. The only combat training I've ever had was from the time I was enlisted in the knights, and that was for less than a year. While it's good to know that you think differently, the truth is that I feel as If I'm far too out of shape and unqualified to handle something as important as keeping one of the two princes safe. He's... probably better off in your care."

"You don't sound very happy about-" Sodia began to point out, but was cut off as a rather powerful wave of aer energy suddenly washed over them. She was surprised to find Flynn glowing with aer energy, still facing Yuri. The two of them had relocated themselves up to the point where they were reasonably close by, only 20 or so paces from where she and Estelle were sitting.

_'The commander... in overlimit? Against Yuri? Hmmm... '_

"Flyynnnn!" Estelle shouted out, the tone of warning in her voice obvious. The unspoken message of _'You'd better hold back,_' was clear.

Flynn waved nervously, somewhat to Sodia's surprise, after which he sheathed his sword and threw his shield aside. Yuri put his own weapon away shortly after making a wave of his own; apparently the fighting had come to an end.

Estelle let out a small sigh of relief. "At least he decided not to try."

At that moment, a second, distinctly less powerful aer wave rushed over them. It seemed Yuri had joined his friend in going more or less 'all out' and was taking an unarmed combat stance.

The healer facepalmed. "Never mind. This is what I mean about him being too reckless..." she muttered to herself. "Yuurriii!" she then called out in roughly the same manner she had addressed Flynn.

The prince briefly turned in her direction and gave her a thumbs up.

"Somehow that doesn't really make me feel any better about this," she commented to Sodia.

* * *

"All right then 'Your Highness', so you think tenth time's the charm?" Flynn said playfully.

"Heh, just so you know, if you beat me this time it's only because Estelle told me to hold back," Yuri retorted.

"Haha, right... *you*, beat *me*, in hand-to-hand combat? Yuri, you've never seen me in a bar fight," Flynn replied confidently.

"That's ok; you've never seen me in one either," Yuri countered.

Flynn frowned. "Huh? But Yuri, you've never _been_ in a bar fight," he pointed out, after which the prince grinned.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked while moving forward confidently. "Oh, and remind me for a second; between the two of us, who actually _uses_ hand-to-hand combat in serious fights?"

The blond-haired soldier pretended to think. "Well, you, obviously, but let me ask you this," he quickly added, "between the two of us, who is wearing _plate armour_ in a hand-to-hand fight?" he finished smugly.

The grin never left Yuri's face. "You, obviously," he admitted, drawing closer still. "But between the two of us, who was it again that knocked out that GIANT monster charging you with nothing but his fist?"

Flynn involuntarily took a step back.

* * *

"So Estelle, what do you intend to do when you've returned the aqua blastia? Where will you go?" Sodia asked the woman next to her, shifting her attention away from the ongoing fight in front of them.

"I'm thinking of moving to the continent to the northwest, somewhere closer to the Guilds. Maybe even going to Dahngrest itself; if the empire doesn't want me, I think that's the safest place to live," Estelle replied, looking back to her book. "This is an atlas of the continent; it was given to me by one of the villagers in Halure as a gift for healing her husband. The area around Dahngrest is suspiciously empty; I'm sure there are lots of towns somewhere around the capital that aren't on it."

The conversation was interrupted by a suspiciously loud metallic clang coming from Yuri and Flynn, even though they weren't using weapons. Both women looked up but found nothing unusual about the fight, other than the fact that Flynn looked like he was in a lot of pain.

"Then, if Yuri's friends can somehow undo that death sentence, maybe I can come back to Zaphias one day," the healer continued after a brief pause, casting a suspicious glance towards the prince.

"...Why don't you try joining our unit instead?" Sodia asked after a moment of contemplation, finally deciding to ask what had been on her mind for a while.

"E-Excuse me?" Estelle replied, clearly caught off-guard.

"Well, think about it. We're a unit of highly trained and well-disciplined soldiers, used to doing dangerous missions," Sodia began, trying hard not to think about her not even remotely professional conversation with Hisca and Chastel just now. "We're also no longer a part of the standard military, so their business doesn't really concern us, and we're going to be constantly on the move with the prince until he's done what he needs to do, which makes us difficult to track. Secondly, everyone I've spoken to so far seems to think highly of you, so there's no way we'd hand you over to them even if they found us. You're obviously a valuable soldier that we want to have along for the ride, and after we're done, you're free to go wherever you want."

Sodia paused to colelct her thoughts; what else could she say? "Lastly, under commander Flynn's leadership, we haven't actually lost someone ever since the war."

_'I think that's the best I could have done,'_ she thought to herself.

Estelle was silent for a very long time, staring into the direction of the fight though obviously not paying attention.

"I... I've thought about staying longer..." she then hesitantly said, "but how would I get the aqua blastia back to the lower quarter safely? And what if a large force of corrupt knights somehow finds and corners us? I think I'd stand a better chance to remain undetected by myself," she explained.

"Hmmm... all right, I understand," Sodia replied. She wasn't happy with the answer, but there wasn't much she could say to counter that. She could see why Estelle would be hesitant to just give the aqua blastia to a random trader from Aspio heading in the direction of the capital, and going deeply into Guild territory probably _was_ the safest option for her.

"That's not the only reason I can't stay, though," Estelle suddenly continued. "You're all nice persons from what I can gather, but I... don't want to stay close to Flynn."

"*pant* *pant* What... do you think they're talking about over there? They're in deep conversation over something and it obviously isn't some idle chatter,"" Flynn managed to ask while barely sidestepping a punch from the still aer-enchanced Yuri. It had been pretty much clear from the start that, in this form of combat, he had to take his friend as a serious threat. Even though the overlimit he himself had activated allowed him to take punches without flinching, the incoming hits still hurt like hell. Somehow Yuri had even managed to hurt him through his armour by using some strange arte he'd never seen before.

Well, that, and there was the fact that his heavy armour was in fact weighing him down, adding to his already present feeling of feeling of exhaustion from having healed both Yuri and, to a lesser degree, himself, after their previous nine duels. Keeping up his guard properly was proving to be a problem.

"Oh no you don't; you're not going to use some cheap trick to distract me when I'm obviously kicking your ass," Yuri countered, keeping up the assault with another flurry of blows.

The reaction sparked up a feeling of annoyance that gave Flynn new strength. He caught a forward jab with his left hand, then pulled Yuri closer to him and in the same motion elbowed him in the side of his head with his right arm, which caused the prince to stagger.

"Kicking my ass, huh? Then what do you call that?" Flynn taunted.

Yuri then expectedly turned around his axis, delivering a backward elbow of his own to the side of Flynn's face. It added another dulled yet distracting bruise to the soldier's collection.

"I call it 'the great Scifo dropping his guard'," the prince retorted playfully. "So when are you going to stop holding back?"

"Ha ha. You know I can't... do THAT," Flynn replied, swinging his left arm in an inward wide arc in an attempt to hit back, upon which Yuri jumped backwards nimbly. "I *pant* don't want to kill you."

"Kill me? What; you think I can't take a hit? It looks to me as though you're having a bit of difficulty keeping up at all," Yuri pointed out. "If you're still going to try, maybe it's time you at least brought out your artes again."

Flynn paused, both to catch his breath and to mull over the idea. Going along with it would quickly drain the reserves he had left, and it wasn't as easy to properly control or the direct his artes without using a sword. Constantly training artes while armed had made him start aiming them partly by using his sword up to the point where not using it felt unnatural; he could seriously injure Yuri if it went bad.

The smart thing to do was to just let Yuri have his glory for once and call it a day...

...but that stupid, infuriating grin made him reconsider. He was asking for it, and truth be told, Flynn felt like he had something to prove ever since he had been saved from near-certain death by someone who wasn't even a proper soldier, even if that person happened to be Yuri himself. He'd show him he wasn't harmless even if he _were_ tired.

"All... All right then, you're on," Flynn replied, grinning. "Let's see how well 'Your Highness' fares when the kid-gloves are off."

"Good, now COME ON! Azure edge!"

"Demon fang!"

* * *

Sodia had no idea how to respond. "Really? But... Why? I mean, he's the most honourable and capable soldier I've ever met."

"He's... not a bad person," Estelle began, obviously thinking hard on what she was saying. "But... his heart is in the wrong place. If he ever gets into a position where he has to choose between what's right and his career, don't count on him to make the right choice," the healer continued, after which she looked her right in the eyes. "It can cost you a lot; things you can't ever get back."

"But didn't he just prove that he did make the right choice by leaving the knights?" Sodia countered, feeling a bit unsure.

"Maybe... but maybe it's just because there was a convenient way out," Estelle pondered. "It could be that he's changed, but I can't ever forgive him."

"...There's so much I want to ask about this that I don't even know where to begin," Sodia admitted, feeling lost. Estelle seemed trustworthy and if what had happened was really that horrible, it went completely against her image of Flynn so far.

"I... think it's better if you don't know," the healer answered. "It's obvious that nothing like this has happened recently and I don't really want to cause an internal problem in your unit. Just, as a... friend," she added tentatively, "let me advise you to please remember what I said if you think something like that could ever happen again."

'_She's so selfless and nice; I just can't believe that the commander somehow caused her harm,' _Sodia thought to herself.

"Ok; I'll take that to heart and I'd like to consider you as a friend too," she replied, smiling softly. "But-"

It was at that moment that a strange wave of aer flowed past them, which caused Estelle to immediately focus on the nearby fight again "Wait. What are they doing?" she asked.

When Sodia turned to Yuri and Flynn, she was just in time to see a couple of rather unfocussed aer waves crashing into each other, causing a chaotic dissipation of energy. Behind that came three more waves from Flynn, each of which Yuri managed to counter with a wave of his own, albeit barely. Still, it was a moderately impressive display of artes used without weapons.

"Honestly? It looks to me as if they're just trying to show off," the second-in-command commented dryly. "At least Yuri is, since he could just have avoided those without wasting energy. I think the commander's putting a bit too much force in the artes as well."

Estelle sighed. "Can't they just try something safer, like arm-wrestling, instead of using artes that could smash holes in boulders? Maybe I wouldn't have to worry so much about Yuri if they did."

"Oh, you don't have to worry," Sodia said, grinning; she had seen them fight far more often. "They know how far they can push-"

*Boom*

Unlike the previous waves of aer, this time the dissipation came with a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, Yuri was almost right in front of Flynn, obviously having ran right through the explosion. Flynn, obviously caught off-guard, barely managed to start an arte before Yuri was upon him with his own. From their vantage point, they saw two glowing white fists quickly closing in on either combatant.

Sodia was vaguely aware of Estelle standing up next to her. "Wait! Don't-!" the other woman cried.

It was too late though, as both aer-enchanced punches hit the opposing combatant squarely in the chest.

For a moment everything seemed silent. Everyone who had been watching the fight had stopped talking, and everyone else that had been fighting had been distracted by the light long enough to see the end.

Seconds went by as the two combatants just stood there, followed by their overlimits deactivating, and finally, without either of them speaking, they both fell down; first Flynn and then Yuri. Neither of them stood up afterwards. Reactions amongst the crowd were divided; some clapped their hands, others laughed, and some others still doubted whether or not to go and offer aid. They wouldn't be getting there in time though, as Estelle and Sodia were already moving.

"...here we go again..." Estelle mumbled on the way there.

"Well, Yuri's vitals are normal as far as I can tell," the healer commented later, following a brief check-up of the unconscious prince.

"So are the commanders'," Sodia answered a moment later, feeling somewhat relieved despite her previous sentiment; Yuri and Flynn had never fought like this, and a fight had never ended in such a way either. Still... "I never really expected anything else, anyway; like I said, they know how far they can push each other, and no matter what we used to tell them, they'd fight anyway. Boys will be boys."

This caused Estelle to chuckle weakly. "Maybe you're right. Honestly though, what am I going to do with him if he keeps doing things like this?" she added, summoning up the aer for a healing arte.

'_...?'_

"Well then, maybe you should stay so you can teach him some discipline," Sodia replied in an amused tone. "We all know Yuri desperately needs someone wiser than him to keep him in check," she continued, interested to see how the other woman would react.

"Haha, yes, he does," Estelle agreed, also amused. "Um, I-I... don't mean me, of course! I'm sure there are lots of... people that are better suited," she added after a few seconds, clearly having lost her concentration. "And I'm going to be gone, so I can't anyway. Ugh, sorry, I need to focus on this arte."

"Right," Sodia answered neutrally, deciding not to press the issue; she wasn't like Hisca or Chastel. She liked that there was at least a chance Estelle would consider staying, even if it was just because of Yuri. That was enough for now.

**_Author's comments _**

This is the longest chapter I've ever written, mostly because I couldn't find a good cut-off point near the end but at the same time kind of liked the overall flow of the latter parts. While I do have a beta now, I have to admit that I lost contact with her since I've been away for a while (my apologies), which is why I went over the grammar myself once more, removing what mistakes I could identify. If you find any, feel free to point them out so I can edit them :)

In the first version of this I uploaded, I used the name 'Ignis' as Chastel's twin sister instead of Hisca, and Nylen instead of Niren. I have no Idea why I thought Ignis was the correct name, but thanks for reminding me otherwise, Deidaro. Nylen seems to be used by some translations instead of Niren, but I'll just go with Niren as it's the official translation.

Karol and Nan finally get their share of the proverbial glory in this chapter. I tried not to focus overly much on Karol, since while he's far easier to write, we also know a lot more about him than of Nan, which makes it less of a challenge and, I believe, less interesting. Opinions on either characterisation?

About the royal guard being separated from the military: I keep trying to find some convenient way to mention it in a conversation somewhere, but it never seems to come up. The reason they are separate units is because Yuri's father pushed the remaining houses to force the council into splitting them up. The colour changed to black to reflect mourning, as his decision was sparked by an usual amount of nobles dying or disappearing in a short amount of time. In short, he was very distrustful of certain military figures and ultimately didn't want to entrust everyone's safety to just one man.

After having included both Garrote's part and Ioder's 'torture session', I decided to make the rest of the chapter a little less dark. I wonder if you as a reader felt that the chapter was boring afterwards, or that you liked the character interactions/references to the movie/the Yuri and Flynn fight?

Also on the later parts, yes, there is a lot of bonding between Sodia and Estelle. While they didn't get to talk too much beforehand throughout the events, I figured that between the facing of a horde of monsters together and taking care of the citizens of Halure, they had enough short conversations to at least be reasonably comfortable with each other before the above conversations. Plot wise, I also needed that to happen and to establish Hisca and Chastel as 'present' individual group members.

As a refresher for those who are a bit confused, while it's never directly stated somewhere, Sodia and Yuri in this timeline have been friends for a couple of years.

Well, on to chapter 14, I guess. This time, we will jump right into the ruins and attempt to get everyone out of Aspio afterwards. Let's hope I manage to finish it in time! Oh, and reviews are always highly appreciated :)

-kind regards,

Dieuwtjin


	14. Cornered

**Brief introduction: **

Hello everyone, and welcome to chapters 14 and 15 of nobility. I apologize for disappearing of the grid for so long, but I'm afraid I didn't have much of a choice. In short, depression killed all of my energy and I struggled to complete my studies because of it.

But anyway, enough about that! Now that I'm (partially) recovered, it's time to progress the story. Actually, the thing that gave me the motivation to restart my efforts on it were the reviews and encouragement that I got over all of the chapters; I reread all of them while I was feeling down and my resolve to continue hardened with each up to the point where my muse was fully working again.

I'd also like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter. I... cannot remember which ones I replied to, but since there were also a number of unsigned reviews, I'll cover them all briefly.

-Deidaro: I know for sure I replied to you, at least :) thanks for the advice again. I'm also kind of peeved as to how you always manage to review in record time.

-The flying frog: yeah, that's indeed what Estelle is heavily hinting at. Maybe these chapters shed more light on it?

-P.W.M. aliasses: thanks, nice to know some of you are still around :)

-Mizu Hozeki: good to know you enjoy the story, and thanks for the long review.

-Anonymous: updating my profile every so often on chapter progress is what I'm going to do starting this; thanks for the idea.

-GXMWP: well, I wouldn't call it a gender bender, but I try to keep all the text new, yes.

-Teddy (?): thanks, both for the encouragement and the understanding.

-Animeflunky: thanks, and the future updates are now here.

**Disclaimer: **Even after three years, I still do not own tales of Vesperia.

_**Nobility chapter 14: cornered**_

"So this is the place?"

The sight in front of Yuri wasn't all that exciting to him; plainly spoken, it was little more than a pile of rocks and debris, with the occasional pillar to break the monotony of the scene. It looked just like every other ruin they had seen on the way there, and frankly, the only reason he gave this place some thought over the others was his faith in the tracker that was leading them on. Though there had been no signs of any knights chasing them, he had a gut feeling that she could be trusted… if only because Yuri himself wouldn't ever have remotely dared going in against her boss's orders if he were in her place.

"Yes, this is where the track went," Nan answered, looking up from the trail.

* woof * Repede affirmed, making further inquiry redundant. While Yuri was sure Repede could have eventually scent-tracked the trail they had been following by himself, the multitude of trails from various scholars that were mixed all over the place would have made it a very time-consuming effort. Or at least, that's what Repede kept telling him.

"Just like I said, really," Rita cut in. "I knew this had to be the ruin the old guy mentioned. We just wasted a lot of time by having them check the tracks, and for what?"

"All that the first one said was that the thief ran east," Yuri pointed out. "Then we run into that old man, and he just happened to overhear the thief mentioning this ruin as he was being chased out of the city by the guards? Don't you agree that's just a little bit _too _convenient? This is obviously…"

"…A trap?" Flynn finished, coming up the rear with Sodia. "Looking back at things, I think it might have been better to just arrest that purple drunkard. The _only_ way he could have known this, was if he were in league with the thief."

Yuri smirked despite the situation. There weren't many things other than him that could get Flynn riled up, but the vagabond trying to hit on Sodia while being a bit too physical about the approach… that had cost the man a plated fist to the face. Maybe Flynn was finally starting to develop feelings back for his second in command? Oh well, even if he didn't, the scolding Estelle gave him while she healed the passed out man's broken nose was also pretty entertaining and oddly reassuring.

However, the amusement quickly turned into concern as the prince remembered his own musings from the event. He was reasonably sure he had seen that man earlier in the week during his nightly infiltration into the military administration, and he had left him there unconscious for the guards to find. He had heard the pervert had even been officially arrested the following day, confirming his suspicion that he had been there illegally. So how had the guy gotten out so quickly, and what exactly was the guy doing in Aspio, of all places?

"We didn't know he was right back then. He was drunk, and we didn't exactly have a lot of time to hang around. We had to get out to follow the trail from Rita's room," Yuri summed up, both for himself and the ones with him. "Besides, do you think the guards there would have liked us arresting people in 'their' city? That would just give them an excuse to turn on us."

"Yuri, I _told_ you that this is the only ruin we know of with an extensive underground cavern system," Rita pressed. "If the thief needed a place to hide, where else would he go to?"

"Maybe he'd deliberately pick a worse place because this would be the one we'd expect him to go. Or maybe you're right, and maybe checking the tracks was a waste of time in the end," Yuri replied, "but with so many people depending on that stone, I wasn't going to take any chances."

'_And I promised to help look for it,' _he thought, shifting his glance to Estelle, who had been strangely quiet ever since they had gotten into Aspio.

"Um, boss Yuri? There's something strange about these tracks, something that's been bothering me for a while," the small female hunter began, upon which all those present turned to watch her expectantly.

"Like what?"

"Well, the tracks are too deep, and I have this... feeling that they're not as well hidden as they could be. Maybe the thief just didn't know to hide them, but along with the weight not matching the description of the thief..."

"Wait a second; are you _sure_ about it this time around?" Flynn asked sceptically. "As far as we know, you were wrong the last time when you warned us about those knights who were supposedly chasing us."

"Don't insult the honor of the hunting blades_, knight_. We _were _being followed," Nan rebutted, throwing him a vicious glare as she did; there wasn't a lot of trust between the two of them, and given the history the empire had with the Guilds, Yuri guessed he couldn't blame them. On the other hand, he had been given the aid of the two hunting blades for free, and any kind of help was welcome in his not too favorable position. So far, they had _at least_ proven themselves to be capable in battle, even if they were both barely older than children, and especially Nan seemed to know what she was doing.

"She's right; the thief wanted us to find it, just like he knew we would come here after the stone," Yuri cut in, any remaining doubt disappearing from his mind. "This is a trap; they're luring us into an underground cavern to be able to get rid of us in a non-public way, and without any possible interference. The purple guy was a backup in case we failed to follow the track ourselves."

For a while, no one spoke. Yuri turned back towards the ruins, glancing over the surroundings. How many knights and/or assassins would be out there, waiting for them? Would he make it out again if he went in? A chill went up his spine as he realized that going in the cave was ironically similar to walking into a grave; both were isolated, cold and dark places underneath the ground.

"So what do we do then?" Sodia said. "We can't leave without the stone, but we can't put you in unnecessary danger either, Yuri."

It was then that Estelle finally entered the conversation, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours. "Sodia's right; it's probably too risky. You've done what you promised to do, Yuri. I won't ask you to go in with me."

_'Yeah, like hell will I just stand here while everyone else takes the risks.'_

"Hold on, you're not thinking of going in by yourself, are you?" Flynn asked immediately, beating him to it. "Because if you are, you can forget about that," he finished while crossing his arms in a defiant pose.

The healer then rounded on him, her normally kind features replaced with a mask of anger. "I don't remember asking for _your_ help. And you're _not_ going to tell _me_ what I should and shouldn't do, Flynn. Remember that."

"Um, Estelle? He does have a point," Sodia then said. "You're obviously a skilled warrior, and we appreciate your resolve, but going in there alone is just a very bad idea. Yuri promised to help you, so he IS going to send someone with you. _Aren't you, Yuri_?"

The tone of her voice left no room for discussion. Not that he'd ever have disagreed with her, though. "Obviously, and I'm going in as well," said Yuri.

He had barely finished talking when people started to call out objections all around him.

"What? You can't!" said Sodia.

"_We_ are the ones supposed to supposed to protect you, Yuri. That's why you took us along, didn't you? What if..." Flynn added.

"... we wouldn't forgive ourselves if we allowed anything to...!" Chastel said.

"Your highness, don't take this the wrong way, but just because you can beat the commander once every 30 matches doesn't mean you..." came the voice her sister, Hisca.

"That's enough!" Yuri shouted, silencing everyone. "Sorry, but there's no way going to talk me out of this," the prince said firmly, turning away from them as he continued speaking. "What kind of leader would I be if I'm going to hide behind others all the time? I'm only even here since I had no choice but to run, to hide, and I'm sick and tired of it. I'm going in there with her no matter what you say!"

Even as he said it, he felt like he was sprouting some super heroic or super foolish and childish nonsense that you only read about in romanticized tales. Not only that, but him being the actual leader of this group required a huge stretch of the imagination; he was below most of the soldiers in the unit in both fighting strength and experience, and nearly all the actual military orders were given by Flynn and Sodia. Hell, he had only learned how to _cook_ properly this week, never mind actually leading a strike force.

Either way, he was too embarrassed to look anyone, especially Estelle, in the eye, and he subtly made sure to keep his face turned towards the ruins instead of the rest of the group.

"… Thanks," the healer said quietly after a moment of silence, "…Everyone," she added.

"I don't know Yuri. I still don't like the thought of you just walking in there," said Flynn, his voice neutral. "But," he continued in amusement, "If you are going to be a stubborn bastard anyway and put yourself in danger against better judgment like you _always_ do, I'm going in, too. There's no way you're going to deny me the chance of saving your ass, if only so I don't have to listen to your bragging about saving me anymore."

"Right, Yuri, so who else should go with you? Since you _are_ our_ fearless _leader, after all, I think you should be the one to decide," Sodia added playfully.

"Well, I..." Yuri began, surprised to find the officers letting him make such a decision despite his inexperience. But then he realized something; Flynn and Sodia probably wanted him to chose so that Flynn had an excuse for going in with Estelle. If he had picked the teams on his own, she'd be much more likely to reject the offer.

'_I guess I should follow on that idea and take both Estelle and Flynn with me; Estelle will go anyway, and Flynn is probably the strongest fighter we have. Even if they don't go together too well, we'll probably need them. But who else should I take?' _he thought, looking over all those present.

Aside from the two officers and Estelle, they had the two hunting blades_, _Rita, and roughly a third of Flynn's unit of guards, some of whom he had known longer than most of the other members, like Chastel and Hisca. He suddenly doubted the wisdom of leaving over half of their force under the command of Witcher in Aspio to restock and find out more regarding the corruption of the knights in the city. He hoped whatever knowledge they dug up wouldn't end up costing someone their life.

'_This is a really dangerous mission, and especially those I take with me could end up dead. We also need to leave a good group over here in case there are enemies lurking about in the surrounding areas; if they manage to trap the team inside, getting out will be an absolute hell.'_

'…_Who to take…'_

"All right, this is what we'll do," said Yuri. "We need a stronger team going in than the one staying out to guard the entrance. I'll go in with Estelle and I'll take Flynn along as my guard. Rita will come with us since she knows the place, and Repede and Nan will be our scouts. Sodia should stay and command the remaining guards in forming a perimeter around the entrance. Karol can stay here to help scouting the area."

He looked over all of them. "Anyone have a better idea?"

Estelle glanced at Flynn so briefly that Yuri almost didn't catch it. "I... No, that sounds fine," she said, and Yuri would have believed it if he didn't know that she couldn't be happy about being paired with his best friend in any way.

"Hmmm, that actually does make a surprising amount of sense, coming from you," Flynn replied. He was obviously happy and relieved to go, even if he tried not to show it too openly.

"You wouldn't even make it inside without me, so I guess I might as well come along. Maybe I'll get to do a bit of research into my anima formula on the way there," Rita said neutrally, already heading for the ruins.

"Well, If no one is going to say anything, I will," Nan then spoke. "I will come with you on my boss's orders, to make sure you will live long enough to grow stronger. But even though you agree with me that it's a trap, you go in anyway? You're not making it easy for me, you know."

_'Seems like turning these people into some kind of closely-knit group is going to take a lot of work...'_

"Well, if you want to, you can stay here and Karol can come with us instead," Yuri offered to the girl.

Karol looked like he was about to faint. "No-No thanks, I'll stay right here, guarding the perimet.. perim... yes, the entrance! Good luck inside!"

Nan let out a long sigh.

* * *

To say the underground ruins were a deathtrap would have been an understatement. Apart from a variety of monsters lurking everywhere in the shadows, some of which even able to use Aer, there were also gigantic moving statues of the aggressive kind, with giant stone slabs for arms. According to Rita, these were statues planted here by an ancient civilization to defend the ruins from intruders. Usually, they didn't move so long as you used the rings stationed near the entrance to the cave to deactivate them before you passed.

Today, as luck would have it, all the rings were missing. Rita also hadn't taken hers along from her home, which had lead to some very tiring fights. While everyone, including Yuri, had made a valuable contribution of some kind to their fights, she had to grudgingly admit that Flynn had gotten a lot stronger since four years ago, and she absently wondered what the outcome would be if she was forced to fight him again.

Strangely, there were no signs of any human enemies yet, and she could feel the tension rise the further they went. Even Yuri's and Flynn's constant boyish rival-banthering, which she found oddly endearing despite her dislike for Flynn, did nothing to lighten the mood. Everyone expected to be attacked at any moment, and she could tell that even Repede was unusually focused, judging from his ears and his tense posture. Every so often the dog would suddenly stop to listen, and with him, everyone else would stop to quietly scan the environment. So far, they had discovered a number of monsters lurking around in such a way, monsters even Nan would have missed.

But throughout all the fighting, the question on everyone's mind was when the trap would be sprung.

The monsters that they encountered weren't the only thing dangerous things about the place, however; there were a number of very steep descending paths, some even circular and without any railing. What made it worse was the very high amount of moisture in the cave, which made some of the stone paths very slippery. As Estelle very carefully shifted her weight down another path she had to wonder why on terca lumines the mages hadn't put any kind of safety precautions along the ramps.

When they had finally made it down, Yuri, after some quick deliberation with Flynn, called for a break. They had been fighting and crawling their way into the cave for a few hours now, and she really wouldn't mind a bit of rest herself.

Also, she realized as the other party members spread about the path along the water, now would be a good time to talk to some of them. Even if everything went well, meaning they wouldn't lose anyone and she got the aqua blastia, this would be her last day with the party; the last day before she went into permanent hiding. There were some things she wanted to say to some of them, and this probably was as good of an opportunity as she was going to get.

She approached Rita first, who had withdrawn down the path a bit to examine one of the large statues, the first one that hadn't actually attacked them. The only one who could have been in hearing distance of them was Nan, who had positioned herself on an elevated rock near the very back of the path to watch the surroundings intently.

She decided to risk it, and padded the mage on the shoulder gently. "Wh-what!" Rita exclaimed with a start, obviously having been absorbed into studying the statue more than she should have been, "Oh, it's you," she finished, crossing her arms. "Do you want anything? _No_, I didn't misbehave in any way and _no_, I'm not hurt, if that's what you're worried about."

The notion of the girl probably hating her stung Estelle deep down inside, regardless of what had happened. "I just... wanted to talk to you for a moment," she explained, moving towards the water.

"This isn't about what you found in my closet, is it?" Rita asked carefully as she followed her.

Estelle blinked. "What...? Um, no, not exactly... but now that you mention it, aren't you a bit... young to have... 'underwear' like that?" By the end of her line, she was whispering to make really sure that no one could overhear it.

"That's none of your business," Rita whispered back as harshly as she could. "I'm old enough to decide what I want for myself. If I decide to sleep with someone, that's my choice, and if I decide to wear that, it's also my choice! You're not my mother are you? And what gives you the right anyway to invade people's-"

Estelle held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Calm down, I'm just a bit worried. I'm a doctor in the lower quarter, and I see a lot of girls around your age who end up pregnant, and... sometimes it works out, but often it doesn't, for a variety of reasons. Very few people actually know of or bother to use the meager available safety devices; please tell me you do, at least."

Rita's eyes grew steadily larger. "Ok, there is absolutely NO WAY I'm having this conversation with you. For one, I don't trust you. Secondly, I don't like you. And finally, the way you've been treating me while I've-"

"I'm sorry," Estelle said, interrupting her.

"- been helping you all, giving you all the aer-related information you could ever need, keeping all sorts of secrets for _certain_ people, and is anyone ever thankful? No, they just assume- wait, what?" Rita asked, stupefied.

"I'm sorry," the healer repeated. "You've been a great help to us, and I think I treated you poorly. I'm sure you did what you thought was right, even if I don't understand it."

Rita stared at her for a long time, her mouth opening and closing a number of times, obviously unsure of what to say. "You _still_ don't understand? I... the blastia..." she began, turning away. "When I got to the fountain to inspect her, the blastia was barely functioning. In fact, she was so far gone that she probably wouldn't have lasted another week. This didn't match the repair record in Aspio at all, and since I had just seen you do something... weird to it, I thought _you_ had somehow sabotaged it. I had to take her with me to keep her safe from you, at least until I was able to fix her," she explained.

"What? You thought _I_ had done something to it?" Estelle asked, dumbstruck.

The mage nodded, then glanced around to make sure no one overheard. "Don't deny it... I saw what you did to the tree in Halure. You were using Aer in a way I don't understand. It was really powerful, and it obviously worked, but I can't help wondering how you're able to do that? Who, or _what_, are you, really?"

Even though the question was put in a neutral way, Estelle felt a surge of panic; was Rita right? Was she somehow... abnormal? "I... don't remember much of it," she admitted. "I keep on being told I did those things, first by you, then by Yuri, and now you again, but I only recall it vaguely. I can't imagine that this never happened before, though? I can't be the first to repair a large blastia by myself? I'm just a simple girl from the slums; maybe I just have a lot of talent when it comes to blastia?"

Rita was quiet for a while. "Look, there's something I have to tell you. You may not like it, but it's the truth. I'm one of the best researchers on blastia. Even though I don't go well with people, they still call me a genius when it comes to them. I've lived inside Aspio for most of my life and I've read a large portion of all the books on blastia research there. But never, _not once,_ did I read something resembling what you did," she said, "And never have I read about anyone being able to use Aer without a blastia. Don't think I didn't notice," she added.

This time, Estelle didn't know what to say.

"But, since you're leaving us soon, it doesn't really matter, right?" Rita said.

"Y-yes, I am. Somewhere far away, after I take the aqua blastia back, of course."

"Then maybe you should try finding a place without a lot of blastia to settle down; that way, you can't accidentally screw up and do it again," the mage mused.

"That... sounds like a good idea," Estelle agreed, surprised at the sudden helpfulness of the mage. "But you don't need to worry about me; I'll be fine."

Rita threw her a strange look. "It's not _you_ I'm worried about; It's the blastia, of course! I still don't know if you have anything to do with how the aqua blastia turned out, but for now I'll stray on the safe path to ensure their safety."

Despite the alarming information she had just received, Estelle had to laugh.

Rita put her arms to the side and scowled. "What? I'm serious."

"It's nothing. So, what I wanted to ask is, are you sure the aqua blastia is... 'repaired' enough to take it back with me?"

"She'd better be! I'll be sure to skin the thief alive if he undid all my hard work on her."

Estelle nodded. "Ok then. Maybe you could check it one final time to be safe?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it; I will."

"All right, thanks Rita. It was nice talking to you," the healer said. "Oh wait, before I go, I keep noticing that you talk about blastia as if they're... well, persons?"

Rita threw her another strange look. "And? Of course they are! They have personalities just like us."

Estelle had been around the mage long enough to know that she was about to become very defensive on the subject. The healer's smile faltered as she considered the most likely explanation; how long did someone actually have to be alone before he or she became convinced that it was possible to have a _two-way_ conversation with inanimate objects, and was able to identify different personalities from them?

"Oh, of course. Well, I wouldn't know; you're the expert on them," she said, deciding to sidestep the issue as best as possible, after which she made to leave.

"Wait! Um... Estelle? Before you go... about the 'underwear'; I haven't actually used it, yet. It's just... you know, just in case..."

Estelle stopped in her tracks and turned around to find an obviously embarrassed Rita. _'Why is she telling me that? Didn't she just say that she didn't trust me at all? '_

She smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he'd be very lucky. It'll be a secret between us."

The mage smiled awkwardly.

* * *

Yuri stared down at the... thing in front of him. "Look buddy, I know I'm not exactly an expert on this, but even I know just how _wrong _that is."

"Hah, is his Royal Highness afraid of a little experimentation?" Flynn teased, putting the ingredients into the frying pan. "This fish liver is supposed to be a highly priced culinary item in Dahngrest, according to Nan. She even went out of her way to give us half of it. Don't tell me you're not just a little bit curious?"

The prince briefly glanced back towards the Hunting Blade, who was still intently watching her surroundings. Close to her, Estelle and Rita had been in some kind of animated discussion for a while now, which had been strangely void of angry outbursts on the mage's side. Everything was the same as it had been for the last 15 minutes.

_'Then why do I get the feeling Nan's mostly keeping an eye on us, instead?' _he wondered.

"Actually, I'm more worried about making a fire. Won't the enemies know we're here?"

"You mean they don't know already, with all the noise we made while we were fighting? Relax for a moment, Yuri. You know being on edge all the time won't help much, especially since Repede is keeping watch anyway," Flynn answered.

Well, he supposed it did make sense. What made less sense were the ingredients.

"Yeah... so near- raw fish liver with garlic, cooked in vinegar, strawberry jam and mantis ichor? It sounds absolutely delicious, O great chef Scifo," he said, distinctly half-heartedly.

Flynn nodded happily. " It does, doesn't it? I can understand why this dish is reserved for the rich and wealthy. It would take highly refined tastes to truly appreciate it."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, _highly _refined tastes, more so than mine. Are you sure you don't want an egg sandwich? I have one left for you if you want it," he asked while Flynn continued to cook enthusiastically.

"Ah, it won't be that bad, Yuri. Here, have a sample," Flynn said, holding out the spoon for him.

It held a thick, texture-less mass of brown and red, riddled with white bits from the garlic.

The very aroma emanating outward foretold a lifetime of culinary trauma.

He noticed that behind Flynn, Repede was slowly crawling away from them as if fleeing the scent.

The prince desperately searched for an excuse to get as far away from it as possible, but the concoction had made his mind go numb.

He was saved by the arrival of Estelle.

"Yuri, can I speak to..." she began, but abruptly stopped as the contents of the dish made it's presence known to her. "Oh - oh my, that's... I've never-" she sputtered, putting her hands to cover her mouth. "Please excuse me for a moment," she continued, and walked right back towards the water.

Yuri immediately stood up. "Yeah, sorry buddy, looks like I have to go. I'll go see what's up." _'And take my sweet time doing it.' _

Flynn looked at him in confusion as he left.

"Thanks," he said as he reached the edge of the water. Estelle was kneeling and inspected some of the apparently clear water from the cave in her palms, before splashing it in her face.

The swordswoman took a few deep breaths to steady herself, or rather, her stomach. "Yes, well, he was never very good at cooking..."

"Yeah, that's putting it lightly, from what I've heard," Yuri said as he sat himself down besides her. The view of the underground water basin, lit by the torches around the room, wasn't an entirely unpleasing one, at least if he could manage to not think of all the possible danger. He realized that they were as far away from the others as possible, which amounted to roughly 25 yards of free space, and it was far more privacy than any of the recent days had provided; at the very worst, there were only four others to overhear them instead of twenty-five.

Their glances met, and he felt the strange urge to look away. Ever since the Halure incident; from when he had finished carrying the near-unconscious Estelle back to their hotel-made base, things between them had been... different, in a way he didn't like. For one, every physical contact he made with her had made him think of their very brief embrace, which had resulted in some very awkward lessons and sparring duels. It also made him feel really guilty towards her, since she had been trying her best to actually teach him something.

Secondly, their conversations didn't come as easily as they had before, and the ones they did have tended to suddenly end in strained silence.

Maybe they were they both keeping their distance since their time together was ending?

However, even if he understood the reason, he wasn't very happy about it. Now, at the end, he had started to view their journey so far as a vacation, accompanied by a person he'd at least consider a close friend. Actually, it was the only real vacation he'd ever been on, and the last few days of it were now being ruined by awkwardness.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He said neutrally, pushing his thoughts aside.

"First, I want you to promise something. I know I'm not really in a position to make demands, but I'm still going to ask," she answered.

"All right, ask away."

She took another deep breath before speaking. "If something happens to me..."

"Not going to happen," came his immediately answer. He was convinced that even if everything went as badly as it could go, Estelle would find a way to make it out alive.

"...I want you to send someone in my place to take the blastia to the lower quarter," she continued anyway.

_'But even though I'm sure she'll be fine, somehow she always keeps thinking something bad will happen to her. Now that I think about it, she never claims any credit for herself, either. Does she have a low self-esteem, or something? But if that's the case, why? It doesn't make sense...'_

"You know I would have done that anyway," he replied, feeling slightly disappointed at her need to ask. "Anything else?"

The healer tilted her head to the side. "I want you to stop taking so many risks. This time, I mean it. You didn't have to be here; it wouldn't have made a difference to me."

"Why?" It was out before he knew it.

"Because, after today, I won't be there to patch you back up again," Estelle answered immediately. "You should stay closer to the healers of Flynn's unit, like Hisca and Chastel, and let the soldiers do the actual fighting for you. Also you should at least have Sodia or... Flynn train you _properly _until they think you're ready."

"You know that in the end, I'll have no choice but to fight as well. Like I said before, I'm tired of hiding," Yuri countered.

"Yes, but that's no reason to get into unnecessary danger when you don't have to. You could have sent someone in your place for this task," Estelle pointed out. "It's not like we think you're not capable of defending yourself; It's just that none of us want you to get hurt for no reason. You need to start acting like you're important, because you are. Sometimes, I have the feeling you... lose sight of that, and I'm not sure why."

_'Is she right? Probably. Do I care? Yes. Do I have a choice? No. I could say people tend to lose sight of that, too. But they don't, because it's easier to just place the blame on my personality, isn't it?' _he thought sarcastically.

He decided to keep his annoyance to himself.

His first urge was to ask her to stay, despite what he'd promised to others, so she could personally make sure he'd be all right. Then again, that would be an extremely selfish thing to ask. Plus, he knew that Sodia had already tried.

Then, a second thought hid him, and his face slid into a grin. He glanced around to see if anyone was listening in, and found everyone still minding their own business; Repede and Nan were on guard, and Flynn was still cooking his 'dish' while Rita watched him do it. No one was paying them much attention, or pretended not to, anyway. He guessed it would do either way.

"You know, you're asking an awful lot, having me just stand back while you guys have all the fun," he said mischievously. "For me to promise that, I'll have to ask something in return."

"Really? Like what?" Estelle asked, obviously suspicious.

"Well, I won't ask you to stay, with that having been done before and all," he continued. "But I'd like it if you didn't leave right away when we get the aqua blastia. Maybe you can stay for one more day? I'd like for... all this to end in a more positive way."

The healer was silent for a moment. "That's pretty vague, Yuri; what do you mean?"

_'I guess I should just say it; It's not like I'm going to get another chance and I don't have much to lose either.'_

But actually doing it was a lot harder than he'd have expected it to be. He realized wryly that he usually had an easier time getting into life-or-death fights, since they tended to come completely unexpected and didn't have much free will involved. "You know, these last few days; after Halure, things between us have been pretty... well... awkward."

Estelle suddenly chuckled, then placed her arms around her knees and shifted her gaze towards the water. "Yes, they have been, haven't they?" she mused. "I knew there had to be some reason you kept messing up your swordplay."

_'Ouch.'_

"Yeah, sorry about that; I was too distracted by... _you_ to pay much attention to what I was doing," he said in good humor. "So, what about you?" he added casually as if he were asking for her opinion on the weather. In the meantime he braced himself for whatever answer would come.

"Wait... You're actually serious, aren't you? This isn't some kind of joke?"

And again his thoughts regarding her were a complete mess of disgruntled images and impressions, ranging from moment's he'd found her beautiful to their conversations about everything in general, sprinkled liberally with the guilt of breaking promises and soured by the looming unknown factor that was Flynn.

Inwardly, he groaned._ 'Is this always supposed to be this complicated?'_

He shook his head, and shifted his glance towards the water as well. "No. Let's say that, for once, I'm completely serious about something. Or at least, I think I am."

"You're serious," she repeated, probably for herself. The healer took a minute to gather her thoughts, and he waited patiently. Eventually, she sighed. "All right. Honestly? I don't know, Yuri; I simply haven't known you long enough. Next to that, it doesn't really help that I feel like a teacher to you in some ways. And even if I did feel... that way and wanted it to work, I can't even begin to think of all the problems there'd be from the class difference between us."

_'Ah... well, it was probably too much to hope for. But maybe... '_

"But I'm not asking you to stay with me," he answered, looking away. "What I want to know is if you'd want to stay one day to celebrate that things worked out in the end. It'd be a one-time thing," he explained.

Estelle slowly turned her head towards him, her eyes narrowed. "And what exactly are you implying by a 'one-time thing?'" There was a certain danger to her tone that told Yuri he was suddenly threading on very thin ice, and he had no idea why.

"Uh, I was thinking about having dinner? Or maybe we could just find something fun to do in the city? I thought that was how 'normal' people did things," he replied, confused. "Or isn't that the case? What did you think I meant?"

Estelle's chuckled, then she shook her head and smiled. "Haha, no, never mind. Well... I don't know if this is such a good idea, but... that sounds nice, and I guess that one day won't make much of a difference."

He was about to answer when she interrupted him. "But it will be just that, Yuri, one normal date. Please don't expect anything more."

"Sure, no problem! It's a deal, then," he replied while standing up. "Come on, we should get back to the others; I'm just dying to see if Flynn died to his own cooking yet. Oh, and we should probably get a move-on; the aqua blastia isn't going to come to us while we sit here."

Estelle laughed and helped herself up by the hand he offered her, and a minute or so later the group was moving again.

* * *

Yuri held to his promise as best as he could have in the next fights, which translated to him hanging back and 'cheering on' the others, especially Flynn, as they got their hands dirty. His constant remarks about being disappointed in the great Scifo for not being able to kill everything with just one swing, or about him 'almost' taking hits seemed to annoy him to no end, so he kept doing it. After all, an annoyed Flynn tended to destroy things a lot faster.

It also seemed to amuse Estelle, which was just as important. He could deal with the strange looks everyone else was giving him for his radical change of tactics.

* * *

At the very end of the cave lay a large hall. It was covered in a strange blue light and had many unmoving statues standing still to the walls along it. Three main pathways ran parallel to each other towards a central open area, with the left and right pathways separated from their middle lane by lower-level lanes of water. There seemed to be no direct access to the left and right pathways unless one jumped into the water and hoped he'd be able to climb back out the other end against moisterous smooth rock. Not that they needed to, however; the middle path that they entered the hall in seemed to run right to the end without any problems.

It was far too convenient to be coincidence. Someone had obviously bypassed the need to switch lanes and had laid out the red carpet for them, like had been the case in some of the previous parts of the ruins.

While the general atmosphere of the near-desolate room and the potentially dangerous falls into the pools of water made Yuri uneasy, it was nothing compared to the figures at the center of it. A truly colossal statue stood tall, like a god demanding worship from all the lesser stone constructs in the room. And on the shoulder of this stood one lone man.

Even from far away and with the strange lighting, they could see the figure held a bright blue stone, which both Rita and Estelle instantly identified as the aqua blastia. Yuri knew without a doubt that the man had been watching them ever since they had entered his field of vision. And, with a start, he recognized his clothing; it was the same outfit that the assassins who had attacked the castle had worn: The Red-eyes were back.

"All right, get ready for a fight, everyone. I don't like the looks of this," he said, though no one needed any reminders; they all had their weapons out and were moving forward cautiously. Estelle immediately begun to cast barrier spells over all the party members as they went, and Rita channeled Aer with her hand outstretched towards the figure. Yet no matter how close they got, the man simply didn't move.

'_Maybe he just doesn't care?' _Yuri wondered. _'I just hope he isn't as ridiculously strong as that Zagi guy was…' _

The prince had expected the assassin to taunt them at some point, but he continued to just stand there, watching them silently. In fact, it worked so well in intimidating him that there was simply no need for him to speak at all.

"So, does anyone see any other assassins around?" he casually asked to no one in particular.

"I… don't think so?" Nan replied, unusually hesitant.

"I'm not sure," Repede barked softly. "It's hard to smell them; humans visit this place often and their scents linger on stone. I don't hear anyone, at least."

Knowing that this had to be a trap, Yuri scanned the room anyway for less conspicuous hiding places. The only thing he could think of was that they were hiding in the pools water that were spaced between the three lanes, but unless they had somehow figured a away to breathe underwater...

"Hey, you," he yelled to the man when they had finally reached the bridge to the central area. "I have no idea what kind of game you're playing, but you'll hand over the stone to us if you want to walk out of here alive. There's six of us and there's only one of you."

He had hoped it would draw any additional enemies out of hiding, but no such luck.

"Welcome, Lowell. It's good to finally meet face-to-face," the man said without emotion. His voice sounded positively creepy, as if his vocal cords had been chafing a cheese grater.

"You'll excuse me if I skip the formalities," Yuri replied. "Now hand it over."

"No thanks, I'm fine up here, and I kind of like having this stone. How about we share? Here; I'll just cut in half for you. Of course; I wouldn't know if it still worked after that..." the man mused, putting his blade to the stone.

"You-!" Estelle began.

"You monster! How dare you toy with her like that!" Rita yelled, overtaking Estelle.

"Calm down, everyone; he's only trying to rile you up. I'll go first," said Flynn, after which he cautiously crossed the bridge. Everyone held their breath but he eventually reached the other side without any problems. After that, they followed him over.

It was at this point that Yuri's patience ran out. "Ok, I've had it!" he yelled to the assassin. "We all know you wanted to lure us here, and you did. Congratulations. Now what's your plan? Where are your friends? You're not seriously thinking of taking us all on by yourself, are you?"

"No, not really," the man replied calmly. "But I won't have to. See, I'd have expected you'd have thought things through more, but you were always a bit of a reckless type, weren't you, Lowell?"

Before Yuri could ask what he meant, the sounds of marching soldiers in plate mail came from behind them. Row upon row of knights appeared back at the entrance to the hall, after which they continued to draw closer through the middle lane. As they moved, a number of crossover bridges to the left and right lanes suddenly seemed to appear and some archers among the knights spread out to those isolated paths.

But the knights themselves weren't the most alarming thing; it were their captives.

Yuri's blood turned into ice as he recognized them; Sodia, who looked so bloodied and battered that he had trouble identifying her at first, and then there was Hisca, who was having difficulty supporting her badly injured sister, and finally Karol, who seemed relatively unharmed compared to the other soldiers. But even with all those present, they were still five soldiers short of what had he had left behind to guard the entrance…

_' I want Sodia to stay and command the remaining guards in forming a perimeter around the entrance. Karol can stay here to help scouting the area,' _he heard himself say, and knew that the only reason they were standing there was because _he_ had chosen them to stay behind.

As Flynn and Nan respectively cried out Sodia's and Karol's names, Yuri realized what a gigantic mistake he had made. "They were never inside the ruins," he said, cursing himself for his ineptitude. "They chose this place because there were too many trails and scents to track, and then they hid from us outside somewhere, waiting until some of us would go in. Then they'd attack the ones left behind and take them hostage…"

_'But... why, and how? If Sodia was outnumbered that badly, she should have withdrawn into the ruins after us; it doesn't make sense,'_ he thought while feeling oddly detached from the scene.

_'She didn't have a choice,' _he answered himself, somehow knowing it to be true; Sodia wouldn't have fought a losing battle for no reason, meaning withdrawing somehow hadn't been an option.

There was no point in placing the blame on anyone other than himself.

"Not bad, Lowell. You're pretty bright; brighter than some would give you credit for," the voice of the assassin came from almost directly behind him. He whirled around, and saw that the man was calmly standing on the floor a few paces away, with only Repede directly barring his path. In the noise of the knights entering, no one else had noticed him making his way down the statue.

"So this is what we'll do," the man continued in a matter of fact tone. "You will voluntarily give up your life to me. If you don't, my… _associates_ will dispose of all your friends over there, and I'll destroy the aqua blastia." Even before he had stopped speaking, the red-eye had already begun to slowly walk towards him.

Time seemed to slow down and the icy feeling in Yuri's chest turned to panic as he realized that he couldn't come up with a plan that could get everyone out alive. Sounds were muted, and the world seemed surreal.

He saw Flynn jump in front of the man and attack, but he withdrew his sword with a curse as the assassin tentatively raised the aqua blastia to block the swing.

He took the extra time granted to turn back towards the captives. On a second glance, he was unsure if Sodia was conscious at all, since she was obviously being kept up by two knights who were dragging her along. On the other hand, Hisca and Karol both met his gaze. "Yuri, don't!" Hisca yelled, after which she was promptly backhanded by the knight closest to her. Karol, in turn, just stared with his mouth open, obviously too afraid to speak.

At that moment he was reminded of a lecture given to him by Alexei years ago, back when his father had been alive and the world had seemed less messed up. The message had been that to be an effective leader, he'd have to see everyone around him as expendable and do whatever he needed to achieve the goal the empire required of him.

With a sinking feeling, he knew that his only option in this situation was to become like the commandant and sacrifice all of them.

After all, came his cold logic, the consequence of his own death was civil war whereas theirs would mostly go unnoticed. And that was even assuming the knights would let them go if he sacrificed himself, which he severely doubted. They were doomed either way.

However, having to accept that the hostages were all going to die because he had rushed in without thinking was the hardest thing he ever had to do. And what about the others that were missing from this group? They were most likely already dead…

But then there was the issue of the aqua blastia; what would the commoners do without their main source of clean water? What would Estelle do if it were destroyed? Was the best plan really to just fight, sacrifice the others and hope they'd _somehow _recover it intact?

"Can you do it, Lowell?" the assassin's voice came from the side. "What are their lives worth to you? Does your 'noble heritage' make your blood worth more than theirs?"

"..._It does. Damn me, but it does_," cold logic came to him throughout the chaos of his mind.

"I... don't have a choice," he said, readying his sword.

Everyone around him tensed. The assassin halted and reinforced his grip on the blade and the blastia.

He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to give the command to attack. "Everyone-!"

"As much as I like the drama, you'll hold it right there, Garret!" the commander of the knights suddenly yelled. "There's been a change of plans."

The assassin, apparently named Garret, abruptly whirled around. "What?"

"The higher ups want Lowell alive after all, so we'll be taking him along with us," the knight sneered, after which he walked towards Sodia. "And for you to suggest killing of these beauties over here? How distasteful. I'm sure we can put them to better use," he finished while perversely caressing her face.

This drew some laughs and approving cheers from the other knights, and, too his horror, Sodia actually stirred, which meant she could actually be conscious despite her injuries.

"That's not what we had agreed upon, _knight_," 'Garret' sneered back. "You can consider our alliance broken if you fail us again."

"Yeah, sorry mate. Orders from higher up and all, you know how it goes. But then again, I'm not too worried, since you_'_re both in our line of fire _and_ the one holding the stone that _they_ need, so the chances of you getting out alive either way are pretty slim. Maybe you should just stand there and stay out of our way, got it?"

This time, there was even more laughter from the knights. The assassin only narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret this, you idiot. Don't be so sure of your own safety after this."

"Hey you, creepy guy in the blue dress!" Rita called out to him. "Why do even help scum like them? They just said they were going to leave you here to die; shouldn't you be helping _us_, instead?"

"Ah, miss Mordio," Garret acknowledged. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice; why would _you_ risk your life for a bunch of strangers that you hold no ties with other than blackmail from their end?"

Rita froze. "T-that's..."

"And you, Nan of the hunting blades," the red-eye continued, "You know who I am, and I know why you're here. It's regrettable that we as fellow Guildsmen have conflicting orders, so I'll give you the chance to walk away. There's no need for us to be enemies."

The girl tightened her grip on her oversized weapon. "I... I won't go back on my word, even if it means I'll have to fight you!"

The red-eye shook his head. "I admire your sense of loyalty, but your death will be such a waste of potential," he answered, sounding surprisingly regretful.

"Hey, Lowell, my men are getting twitchy over here! Do you want us to shoot you just to get your attention?" The knight-commander then cried out.

"Wait, you, I recognize you! You're the one I fought on my way to the castle!" Estelle suddenly said, pointing towards the man.

"The one and the same, little bitch," the commander replied, making a mock bow in his solid golden chest plate.

"I spared your life, yet you continue on with your… vile routine anyway? Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" The healer pressed.

"Yes, yes, you did, and for that, I, Ricardo, favored of Lord Cumore, am most grateful. So I'll generously offer you and your rubble the chance to walk away _after_ we take Lowell from you; then you can go ahead and rot with your pretty blue stone, for all we care," the knight answered mockingly.

"So what will it be, 'your highness'?" the officer continued towards Yuri. "You'd better hurry, unless you want to find out just how many arrows we have to fire at your friends before they all die. I'm pretty sure even your normally pink-haired bitch can't stop all of them."

As if to underline the threat, numerous knights pulled out their bows. Estelle tensed and immediately started channeling Aer.

Yuri's mind had raced with the new developments, and even as the question to him was put, he had put together one last, desperate plan. He knew that if the knights managed to capture him, their hostages, save karol, would probably suffer perverse fates worse than death, so he'd have to act before that…

… And he'd need Estelle for it to work. Or, well, any of the girls, but he figured that both Rita and Nan would kill him themselves, apart from it being less credible.

"All right, all right, don't do anything rash. I'm coming your way," Yuri yelled to the commander, after which he put his sword away. "Just give me a second," he added, and walked towards Estelle who was still channeling aer.

"What! Yuri, you're not seriously going, are you? What about Sodia and-" she managed to ask throughout the process.

"Well, I can think of one thing that could get them out of there," he whispered so only she could hear. "But it's risky and I'll need your help."

Estelle glanced over the knights once, then nodded. "If you think it will work..."

"Just go along with me on this, and don't hit me," he apologized in advance.

Then he whirled her around and kissed her on the mouth.

There was a muffled gasp followed by a split second in which her face contorted either in shock or anger; he wasn't sure which. Either way, the aer channel ended abruptly. He absently realized that if the knights had been lying and decided to shoot now, they wouldn't have a barrier to defend themselves...

Then she leaned in and kissed him back, and all further thoughts were forgotten.

He had intended for it to be fake; it was the only way to block line of sight to what he was really doing from both the assassin and the knights, without antagonizing them. To make it seem less like he was taking advantage of her in some way, he tried not to put any effort into it. That way, it was more acceptable. At least, that's what he told the disapproving part of his conscience.

In reality, it backfired on him the second he realized the kiss on her end was at least real enough to fool him_._ His already strained focus instantly shattered and when his hand actually found one of the items he was reaching for, he realized he had lost count of which was which.

_'Oh damn, not good,' _was "the only thought that shot through the ordeal. He was aware that there were reactions from both the people around them and the knights, but none made it through the physical sensation and the worry over of how badly his gamble could turn out.

A few moments later, Estelle broke the embrace and buried her face in his chest . "Do you need more time?" she whispered, indicating she had obviously realized what he was going to do.

Some dark and private part of him wanted to say 'yes' just to see what would happen.

"Lowell, you will get your ass over here right now, before I lose more of my patience!" the commander yelled, cutting off whatever response had half-formed in his head.

The prince reluctantly shook his head. "Guess I won't get a retry." The double meaning was lost on anyone but them.

He looked over the party members one by one, and found each of them watching them with various expressions. Most notable was Flynn's, who looked like he was about to kill him. "Yuri, if we ever make it out of here, remind me to personally make sure that the Lowell line ends with you."

If Yuri hadn't suddenly noticed that the assassin was missing, he might have concocted some sort of reassuring response. But before he could warn anyone, the massive statue that in the middle of the room rumbled, and the situation got even worse.

The eyes of the massive statue lit up as it lifted itself from its prone position, and when it reached full height, it almost touched the ceiling of cave. It was even more gigantic than any of them had previously thought, and Yuri sarcastically wondered just what the hell the ancient civilizations had been thinking when they had put such a massive weapon of destruction in an underground cave. How would they even get it outside if they needed it? Or what exactly was hidden here that warranted something like _that _to defend it?

But then its fist came crashing down and the party scattered to dodge it. The ground cracked and tiles shattered under the sheer weight and mass of the colossus, and the shockwave resulting from the impact was enough to throw most of them of their feet.

"Yuri! Go and help the others!" Estelle cried out after they had picked themselves up from the floor.

"No! This time you won't get to run, Lowell!" The assassin yelled from somewhere nearby, but Yuri wasn't sticking around to find out where exactly he was. He had enough faith in his friends to know they didn't need him to fight. What was more important was that he got to the knights before they got too nervous and started killing people.

He was already running towards them when he risked a backward glance, and saw that Repede had managed to tackle the assassin, after which he barely avoided a counterattack by the red-eye. Flynn was about to join the fight, while the stone statue's fist was quickly coming down upon all three of them. "Flynn! Watch it!" he cried, just as the stone fist opened up and surprisingly grabbed his friend rather than crushing them all. There was an immediate flash of red light as one of the fingers seemed to explode of the hand and Flynn made a rough landing on the ground.

On the other hand, the statue, completely unfazed about just losing a finger, began glowing with a light that Yuri didn't like at all. And then there was the assassin, who had somehow gotten free from Repede and was running towards him, with only Estelle still being in his way.

_'She'll be fine... she HAS to be fine,' _he told himself beforelooking away, since he had reached the outskirts of the group of knights. Ironically, the same thuggish knights that had been willing to kill him until very recently were showing some form of discipline by forming a loose circle behind him, all the while not taking their sights off of the colossus. This didn't count for all of them though, as some of the knights in the back detached themselves from the back rows and came right for him.

Yuri used the split attention and partial confusion as run as far into the group as he could before the first two knights reached him. Like him, they didn't have their weapons out though one of them was carrying a pair of shackles obviously meant for him.

Whether they seriously believed he had surrendered or just massively underestimated him, he didn't care. What mattered was that he hated all of them and was carrying their judgment concealed in his fist; he just had to get a bit closer to the hostages than this.

He lowered his speed slighlty and ducked under the first knight's outstretched arm, then proceeded to strike him squarely in the face with an Azure strike as hard as he could. What remained of the knight's face was a bloody mess as he wordlessly sank to the floor.

Yuri sprinted past the second knight, who had dropped the shackles in shock and was too slow to do anything to stop him.

_'All right... almost there.'_

By now there was angry shouting from the knights, and he saw some of archers redirecting their aim towards him.

_'30 feet left to the main asshole,' _ he told himself as they fired. Some of the arrows missed him completely while two bounced off of the remains of Estelle's protective magic.

"Lowell! If you don't stop RIGHT NOW their lives are forfeit!" the gold-plated man yelled, but he paid it no heed. This had always been a gamble and he was almost as close as he had to be, anyway. The fact that the man gave him more time to get closer was just an added bonus.

So the prince ran ahead at full speed while the knights in the back readied their weapons. There was something oddly satisfying about the fact that they apparently thought he was a credible enough threat, even though he was by himself and with them not having a clue as to what he was about to do.

_'10 feet left,' _he thought, and only then did he have to moment to glance at his hand to see if he had the right one. To his immense relief, he had.

"Damn it! Finish them!" the commander yelled to his men.

But he was too late. Yuri had already thrown the glass Aer sphere right to the ground among the back lines near the hostages and the effect upon its shattering was immediate.

A massive cyclone, far more powerful than he had dared to expect, enveloped almost the entire group of knights, including Yuri himself.

Bodies were flung everywhere and all that remained was chaos.

* * *

Chapter design notes:

-I changed the interior of the final room of the shaikos ruins to be slightly simplified. It's just too hard to write a fighting scene for it otherwise.

-I skipped the arrival at Aspio completely and went straight for the ruins to speed up the story. Most of it is explained anyway in the opening scene. I wonder if people felt that part was rushed when they read it?

-I wanted to bring the Estelle/Rita friendship from canon back a bit; I felt like the unfriendliness between the two of them wasn't particularly necessary and would be in the way of the story in the long run. Plus, I think their skit-scene worked out well. Did anyone else ever get the feeling that Rita was probably a very lonely person? From the movie and how everyone seems to fear her, I mean. Trivia: this is also the point where I was at the end of the last update, 7 months ago.

-Ah... the Yuri/Estelle scene... how many times did I write you? 4 or so? You were such a roadblock for me; I couldn't quite figure out how you should have played out. I nearly always have multiple ideas with one sticking out to be 'best', but not this time, unfortunately.

In the first rendition I had, Yuri tries to convince her to stay and they get into a fight (seemed OOC), in the second one I had a two-sided confession but eventually decided that, even though they are on a short timer, that would be unrealistic, especially from Estelle's side. Then I had Yuri hide his feelings so letting go would hurt less (I generally dislike this whenever I read it in a story since it's so cliché), and then I had this. I figured that Yuri was probably close to sure on the topic, but that there'd have to be done more from his side for Estelle to actually start returning those kinds of feelings. She probably needs to respect him more, first.

I think that both of their reactions and the confession thing in itself are pretty realistic; do you agree? I at least prefer more of an honest, direct approach in real life.

-What is an Aer sphere? Basically a spell in a glass casing, given to Yuri several chapters ago to use sparingly in cases of emergency.

-The chapter has been run through a number of spell-check machines and I've read it over 8 times or so. If there are any grammatical errors remaining and you find them, please let me know.

-Final scene/start of the bloodbath: Who will live, and who will die? The sword hangs looming over the necks of some of the characters... (more on this in the chapter 15 end notes). Also, originally I had Cumore himself lead the knights in the scene, but that would have led to some... problems regarding character development for certain characters (Again, see chapter 15). Canonically, he also isn't in the neighborhood during this part of the timeline.

-chapter 15 will be posted as soon as I've been able to spell check it a few more times. The actual content is already written, so it should be out tomorrow at the latest.


	15. Cornered, part 2

**Brief introduction:**

-See chapter 14. Warning: this chapter contains graphic violence (and character death?).

**Disclaime**r**: I do not own tales of Vesperia.**

_**Nobility, Chapter 15: Cornered, part 2**_

All around him there were cries of pain, anger and fear as some knights were thrown roughly into the rock formations while some of them were flung into the water.

Yuri, being the only one who had expected the storm to come, had thrown himself flat on the floor immediately after throwing the sphere in hopes of not being swept along.

Sadly the storm was too powerful for something like that to work out completely and, like everyone else, he was thrown about like a rag doll al be it closer to the ground. To his horror, he saw that he was about to roll of off the middle path into the water, and there was nothing he could grab on to for support. If he allowed himself to fall, it would take him at least some time to get back out, in which he'd be nearly completely defenseless and wouldn't be able to help the hostages in any way.

_'And that was if they didn't fall in themselves...' _

There was only one thing he could think of.

He immediately activated his overlimit and slammed his sword into the ground as hard as possible. To his own surprise, it worked, and he desperately held on while the storm died out. He saw that the knights who had been lucky enough to find their own support did the same. Furthermore, he saw Sodia's body lying near the entrance of the room, with Karol holding on to a rock nearby. He was relieved to know that at least two of the hostages had been flung where he wanted them to be and were safe for the moment, assuming Sodia hadn't broken anything from a nasty fall.

But their temporary safety meant nothing if he didn't get to them before the knights did.

Yuri mentally readied himself for the coming fight.

_'Time to see how all those years of training with Flynn are going to pay off,'_ he mused. After all, this would be his first actual armed encounter with the knights._ 'As long as none of them are as strong as Flynn and Estelle, and I manage to get to Sodia and Karol, we have a chance. Of course, that's if the archers don't just shoot us from a distance... Heh, why did I think this was such a good idea again? Oh right, I didn't have a choice. Maybe they all conveniently dropped their bows in the wind?'_

The second the cyclone started dying down, he pulled himself up and stormed over the path.

The first knight he encountered had just fallen down in his path and was picking himself up when Yuri kicked him in the face; it wasn't very honorable but he didn't particularly care.

He then threw two azure edges towards the side paths as he went, not to hit anyone but to draw the attention of the knights there to himself. "Want me? I'm right here! Don't tell me one little noble is more than you all can handle!" He yelled to increase the effect.

It worked, since a group of four knights further down had just finished picking up weapons from the ground and were running right at him. He managed to get one of them with another azure edge on the way there, but that still left two swordsmen and a spear-wielder... and he felt his overlimit dropping fast.

There was no time to think of a plan. The first knight came at him with a thrust, which he narrowly avoided by a last second dodge to his right. Then he grabbed the man's outstretched arm and used the combined momentum of his charge and the pull on the knight's s arm to impale the man on his sword with a sonic thrust.

He then put the knight in between him and the second swordsman, pulled out his sword and shot the body forward riding an azure edge. The second man dodged the impromptu projectile, but was left seriously imbalanced. He still managed to get his shield up in time to block though, so instead of using his sword right away, Yuri threw a massive blast of luminescent aer right into the shield, instantly breaking the man's arm. The knight fell to the ground crying in pain. All that was left to do was stab the man in the face; something he did immediately and with no remorse.

This left the spear-wielder, who took a few steps back from him. Sensing hesitation, Yuri rushed in. He feinted to the left, but the man didn't fall for it and readjusted the aim of his thrust to be aimed dead at Yuri's chest. The prince instinctively used an arte Estelle taught him and jumped upward with a spiraling cut, parrying the spear to the side and leaving him in the perfect position to fire an Azure edge while still in the air. The shockwave hit the surprised knight, and he fell backward clutching his bloodied side.

Even as the last knight fell, Yuri felt the rush of Aer energy leave him; things would get a lot harder now if he didn't hurry up. He decided to leave the wounded knight for now but did stop to pick up the spear with his free hand; Sodia or Karol would need a weapon to fight. As he knelt down, he saw that the dead knight to the side was wearing a bodhi blastia; something he also quickly swept up for later use.

And with that he ran on, his immediate path clear.

To his credit, Karol had already pulled Sodia into a sitting position and had placed himself between her and the recuperating knights, even though he clearly had difficulty wielding the two-handed sword he had picked up and was obviously shaking in fear.

" Y-Yuri! That was awesome!" he cried out. "Did you come to get us out-"

"One sec, manly man Karol. Think you can keep the knights off my back for a while?"

All around them on all three lanes, the knights who hadn't been injured too badly and weren't concerning themselves with the threat of the colossus were looking at them with murder in their eyes. It was a very safe bet to think they'd kill them all if they got the chance, regardless of their actual orders.

"Eh, Um..." Karol stammered.

"So that's a yes? Great! Oh, and a little secret between us? I'm a bit tired and I can't do that again, so we're all kind of counting on you!"

"But-!"

Yuri stopped listening as he dropped himself down in front of Sodia. He flinched as he saw the actual extend of her injuries from close up: there was a fracture in her skull, she was bleeding from a stab wound in abdomen, and she had some kind of wound in her hand that allowed him to see the bones of her fingers sticking out. Next to that, she was almost completely covered in blood, presumably a large part of it her own. He was involuntarily reminded of Estelle's injuries right after their desperate struggle with Zagi.

And yet, she was watching him with one of her eyes half-opened. He knew her being conscious in any way was a miracle despite his lackluster medical knowledge.

He just hoped he had enough gels on him to save her... and enough time to use them.

* * *

Raven watched the scene below him play out with casual interest.

From his vantage point high up on one of the decorative railings along the upper end of the wall, he had a perfect view of the entire battlefield. Lighting was rather poor here, which meant that he himself was very hard to see for any of the actual combatants, even if they had had the time to stop and look around.

So far, it seemed as though the prince's friends were struggling, but holding. He had to give the youngsters credit for their resilience; it gave him plenty of time to think. It was time he really needed, since Yuri's stunt had thrown a big wrench into the overall plan, one he wasn't sure how to adept to yet.

It had been easy to use his double identity to confuse the chain of command long enough for him to give the command for the capture of Lowell. He'd figured that after they did, he'd switch to his other identity and take him in, which would keep Yuri out of both Alexei's and the Don's hands for a while if he played things right. But after that? He wasn't quite sure yet, and now that all involved factions were openly fighting each other, he had to determine where his real loyalty lay and _fast_.

It might have been easier to determine the best course of action if he'd known more on current status of the guilds, particularly regarding the Red-eyes; just how far was the Don aware of their involvement in the assassination plan on Lowell? Did they have his blessing and the actual support of the other guilds?

It was a shame he'd failed to get the answer from Garrote; then again, maybe the man just didn't know. He'd have been a useful ally if he hadn't been loyal enough to his master to not turn on the knights despite that show just now. He supposed he admired the kid's warped sense of honor in a way.

_'Ah Yeager, you old bastard, I wonder what you did to produce someone like him,' _he absently wondered.

Raven took another sip from the large bottle of brandy that he'd smuggled along with him, drinking the worries away for a few seconds.

Then he heard a scream and he turned towards the sound of it. It looked like Scifo had and Garrote were more or less evenly matched, though he'd say that the knight's moves were growing a bit more sluggish as their fight went on.

A quick glance the other way told him that Yuri had managed to reach and revive Flynn's second in command, at least up to the point where she was able to stand and fight with him and the little boy. They had been joined by one of the red-haired soldiers, who had had apparently given up the search for her sister for now. Well, it was a good thing she did, too, since they obviously needed all the help they could get. Plus, her sister was probably dead, thrown into the water by the hurricane, and obviously drowning, either by being unconscious or too injured to swim. It was a waste, really; she had definitely been pretty, but he couldn't really do anything for her now.

Hmmm, speaking of the storm, how exactly had the prince pulled that one off? It seemed that even in his old age, there were still some things that could surprise him.

The remaining knights, twenty or so in number, were a semi-organized bunch with some trying to take care of their wounded but most rushing towards the prince. He was half-convinced sure that, given the chance, the majority of them would have rather fled the scene; discipline among them wasn't as good as it had been in the good old days.

As it turned out though, Yuri's unit was actively blocking their way out, either with ranged artes or just by being directly in the way, and the realization that they were trapped made the knights fight all the harder.

It looked like it was getting harder and harder for Yuri to hold the knights off, especially now that their commander, who had just somehow dragged himself out of the water, had begun to rally them. On the other hand, if he was right about the overall discipline of the knights, they could probably be broken just as easily.

Hmmm… maybe he should do something? But who should he help? Yuri? Scifo? The prince's other friends who were fighting the colossus that the Red-eye had activated with a blastia core? Or maybe Garrote and possibly the interest of the guilds? Or Alexei and the knights?

He took another sip from the alcoholic beverage in his hand; maybe the answer was written on the bottom of the bottle? Or maybe he should just decide on what to do in the most logical way; pick the side with the most and most beautiful women and just stick with that for now?

After a few moments of deliberation, he finally reached for an arrow.

* * *

Flynn was growing weary of the fight.

He had been desperately defending the bridge to the other side of the chasm from the assassin pretty much ever since the start, and while he had managed so far, damn him was it hard. The assassin was an extremely quick and highly skilled combatant, and on top of that the statue seemed to help the guy at times by throwing crushing punches his way. With little room to move and not wanting to get out of the assassin's direct path to Yuri, all he could do was stand there and use his Aer-enhanced guard to block those massive hits.

In short, he was running out of stamina fast and he wasn't quite sure how long he'd be able to keep this up.

On the other hand, the assassin, just having recovered from a brutal exchange of thrusts, slashes and parries, stood calmly just outside of his striking distance. He seemed to have no problem at all to keep up and gave the impression that he could have done this forever. Then again, it could just be a bluff.

He hoped it was a bluff.

Meanwhile behind the red-eye, Estelle had taken it upon herself to lead the others in trying to take down the colossus. While they had managed to damage it from the outside by cutting or blasting off huge chunks of stone, the thing didn't seem to care. On the good end, if it could be called good, the thing hadn't managed to seriously injure anyone yet. That had been sorely due to Estelle's insanely powerful barrier spells managing to block off the thing's beam-attacks before Nan had figured out a way to prevent the statue from using it. It seemed that, little by little, they were wearing it down... but not fast enough.

'_Nothing like the girl I used to know...' _he noted as he saw his once-friend fight.

Then the red-eye came again, and both of the man's blades seemed to come in a never-ending cyclone of steel.

_'Block, parry, parry, duck, block, duck, block, feint, thrust, block, jump back, block...'_

The man's agility was infuriating, while _he_ was being weighed down by heavy armor.

"ARGH!" he cried in anger, and threw a barrage of Aer waves to force the man back. Of course he dodged them; he always did. _'Why wouldn't he'?_ Flynn sarcastically thought.

"Sounds like you're about to reach your limit, Scifo," the man calmly observed. "Raven! Now!" he cried again, but nothing seemed to happen, just like the last four times he had done so. The man narrowed his eyes and sighed, after which he mumbled something about old men.

"And it looks like... your friends... double crossed you, again..." Flynn retorted, unable to keep the panting hidden.

'_Need to keep up… got to keep him distracted and away from the others…' _the blond soldier kept telling himself, drawing strength from the notion that if this guy got to anyone else, it wouldn't end well. Even Estelle probably wouldn't be able to repeat the barrage of spells she had used to originally block the red-eye's path long enough for him to stand in.

"Even if I'm tired, I'll… never let you pass," he said, bracing himself for the next attack.

"Maybe you're right," the man agreed. "Maybe if we kept going like this, you would eventually get lucky. But I'm not stupid, Scifo. Tell me, are you going to stand there and watch while I kill all of your friends one by one?"

And he ran towards the others.

A vision of Estelle being stabbed through the heart came to Flynn's mind.

"No!" Flynn screamed, instantly activating his overlimit.

* * *

Yuri knew things weren't looking good.

Hisca, Sodia, Karol and himself were outnumbered five to one, and all that prevented them from being surrounded was the fact that they had withdrawn themselves into the very entrance to the huge hall, even before it split up into the three lanes. Here, in this chokepoint, they could stand and not be surrounded, even if the enemy archers could still fire at them from awkward angles.

More than once was someone grazed by a stray arrow, and it was mostly by Sodia's skill and Hisca's protective and restorative Aer channels that they were still fighting. However, Yuri knew that Sodia was in an injured state and that Hisca was using a 'borrowed' blastia almost non -stop. If either of them gave up, or if the knights in the melee got a good hit in on any one of them, the knights would break the meager four-men line and overwhelm them.

As he parried hit after hit and scored some glancing cuts whenever he was able to, it stung his pride a bit that Sodia, with only one really useable hand and without a blastia, held up roughly as well as he did. He'd figured that maybe he'd been ready to fight on the level of the others, which obviously wasn't the case. But for now, he had other issues.

Ever since the commander had somehow reappeared on the field of battle and had started barking out orders, the knights had begun to fight more coordinated and more disciplined, attacking in formations that were far harder to deal with than the man-to man skirmishes had been.

While Karol held the knights back surprisingly well with wild swings of his oversized weapon, Yuri again tried to reach for a gel, but was denied the opportunity as another knight came in with a slash that he had to parry.

They were being worn down; he didn't have any time to get out any of his items, Hisca and Sodia were probably exhausted, he didn't have overlimit and Karol got more and more nervous as time went on. Plus, they were only keeping them back; they weren't actually scoring many kills.

Their only real hope was that Flynn and the others would finish their respective fights soon to help them out, but from a number of very brief glances he could tell that that wouldn't be happening soon.

There was another order from the commander, and some of the knights to the side parted to give a group of archers a clear firing line towards them. Sodia immediately jumped behind him, and he used some of his remaining strength to use guardian barrier to block the arrows. Just like the first few times, there was an enormous drain on his remaining stamina; he wished he had practiced this guard more with Flynn. It had seemed less important at the time as he had gotten way too used to healers like Estelle being near him to do the shielding for him. It was such an idiotic thought in hindsight...

His guard dropped for an instant, and then there was an immediate spear thrust coming from the side. It was only by the interference of Hisca that it failed to skewer him, after which Sodia forced the knight back with a thrust of her own.

Yuri panted hard for breath as he watched the unrelenting mass of knights in front of him. He balled his fist; if he was going to go down, he swore that he'd take at least a few of them with him.

But just as the commander raised his hand to issue another command, his face suddenly exploded in a mess of blood.

_'What the hell?'_ Yuri wondered blankly.

"Enemy archers!" one of the knights yelled.

"What? That's impossible!" another called back. "None of them have-"

"What do you call that then, you retard?" the first knight yelled, pointing towards the glowing arrow sticking out of the commander's head.

Some of the halberdiers and spear-wielders that had been putting so much pressure on them quickly turned to scout the area or tentatively made for cover.

Yuri, not wanting to look a gifted horse in the mouth, immediately seized the opportunity to reach for his items…

And then he saw it happen.

Throughout the clearing that had formed in the ring of fighters, he saw that the assassin had broken off from the fight with Flynn and was running straight for Estelle and Rita. Flynn took a few steps, but was obviously too slow to catch up to him. His friend seemed to realize this and put all he had into what could only be described as a dazzling storm of blinding radiant energy which headed right for the red-eye, and, in extension, the colossus behind him.

When the light finally died enough for everyone to see again, the colossus was missing a large part of its right leg, and there was no further trace of the assassin.

Yuri had been about to sigh in relief when the man suddenly reappeared from near the wall on the other end of the room, heading right for his friend. This time, he had his overlimit activated whereas Flynn's had worn of; no, even worse, he had dropped his guard from the effort and was about to be taken completely by surprise.

"No! Flynn!" he cried out in warning, but it was far too late.

Even as Flynn noticed the man and forced himself back into a defensive position, the assassin seemed to disappear completely. When he reappeared behind him a second later, there was a split second in which Flynn just stood there…

… and then he fell the ground, bleeding heavily from the neck. He tried to clutch his neck with his hand at first, but soon he flipped onto his back and all that remained were twitching movements; a cruel mockery of a fish suffocating on dry land.

If he wasn't dead, he would be within seconds.

"No… it... it can't…" Sodia stammered beside him.

Yuri, for once, was also at a complete loss for words.

"Yuri, look!" Karol cried, breaking him out of his stupor.

It was then that he saw that the assassin was already halfway to them.

* * *

On the other side of the battlefield, Estelle had no idea what to do. She had just picked herself up from the ground after a desperately dodge to avoid being hit by Flynn's arte herself, and had been just in time to see the assassin strike him down.

She felt strangely empty.

Flynn was dying; he was actually going to die. The notion of it felt… somehow less real, and that's where her emotional reaction ended.

On the other hand, the man that had struck him down was running and would be upon Yuri soon. If she was going to abandon the fight with the colossus to help either of them, she had to do it _right now_.

'_A cut through both carotid arteries,'_ A cold and emotionless part of her observed as Flynn lay twitching; the pulsating sprays of blood loss from the wounds on the neck told her as much. _'Loss of consciousness within fifteen seconds, twenty at most. Death within a minute. Treatment is complex and draining, and unlikely to help.'_

'_Is this really what I wanted?' _she wondered.

'_Let him die. Even if he didn't deserve it, you need to help Yuri. The others can handle the statue now that it's damaged,' _one part her reasoned.

'_But what if Yuri doesn't need help?' _A more insecure part of her answered.

'_You know he will; if the red-eye can get Flynn, he can get Yuri. Unless you stop him.'_

She had partly agreed and had been wanting to start moving when, to her surprise, she found that she couldn't.

'_But I… I can't just let him die…'_ the voice sounded like her once-childish self.

'_You can't waste time now! And did you forget? Who was it again that chose Cumore over you when you needed him? When the lives of so many innocents depended on him? Who was it that stabbed you through the chest when you tried to stand up to it, and left you with a disfiguring scar? That would have been bad enough by itself, but he's also the reason-'_

'_I know,' _the spark of innocence she felt empty. _'But once… once we were friends,'_ it continued. _'Maybe more than friends.'_

'_So you pick him over Yuri despite all that?'_ the more grown up version of her demanded. _'Leave Flynn;_ _it's a lost cause._ _Go and help Yuri. No one will blame you. It's not your fault.'_

'…_What about the others? They'll miss him. I can't decide this only for my own interest…'_

Something hard impacted with her side and sent her flying. A second later, the first of the colossus came down where she had just been standing.

She blinked at the purple object next to her. "R-Repede?"

*Growl!*

Even if she couldn't talk to him, she understood that he wasn't very pleased with the way she had just been inner-monologueing in the middle of the fight. She was about to thank him when he stormed off over the bridge and after the red-eye.

To her side, Flynn had stopped moving completely, even though the blood still came.

'… _my own interest… am I that hungry for revenge that I'll let others die just so I'll feel better?' _

It was then that she made her choice.

If she'd let Flynn die, she was no better than him; it would be abandoning him when he needed her most, whether or not he actually deserved her help.

Yuri _would_ be fine. She had to trust in that he would do his part; he'd find a way, no matter what it took. That's how he was.

But she still couldn't do anything for Flynn if a giant statue constantly threatened to kill her.

"Rita! The leg's almost gone! Destroy it!" she cried while running towards Flynn.

"You don't need to tell me that!" the mage yelled back, already forming another fireball. "What are you standing around there for? Shouldn't you help him or something?" she added, motioning towards Flynn.

Estelle waved to her reassuringly, then located the Hunting Blade. "Nan! I need you to keep it distracted while I'm busy!"

Rather than answering, the hunting blade jumped up and gave another it another vicious cut with her weapon, slicing off another huge chunk of stone. It didn't do much other than make the statue direct it's next attack at her, but that one second was just enough time for Rita to finally cast the last spell needed to destroy the leg, and the thing fell crashing into the wall behind it, all the while flaying wildly with its arms.

Hoping that she was at least safe for the moment, Estelle summoned all her remaining stamina and channelled her restorative arts to begin what was probably a hopeless endeavour…

...when a cry from behind shattered her concentration.

"Estelle!" Rita called. "It's going to shoot!"

Estelle whirled around and, to her horror, saw that the statue was charging its beam from prone position.

It was aiming directly at her.

What was sure to follow was a massive blast of Aer that would doubtlessly obliterate both herself and Flynn, unless they somehow kept it from happening.

"Attack it in the back!" she cried.

"I can't reach it!" Nan replied. "How am I supposed to get there when it's to the wall like that?"

'_I can form a barrier field to protect us, but It will drain me so much and I … Argh!'_

"But I need this energy to help Flynn!" she cried in frustration.

Meanwhile, the buildup of energy was nearing a critical point, and she knew she had only seconds left to decide. The start of the beam was forming at the chest and…

Wait.

She put all her effort into making a small barrier directly covering the area where the statue's chest was glowing brightly.

When the energy released, the barrier lit up brighter and brighter and it became harder and harder for Estelle to sustain it. She willed it to hold with all her might.

Then, finally, it happened.

The destructive energy, unable to exit the statue, kept building up inside it up to the point where it exploded outward from within, utterly destroying it and turning it into little more than a pile of rubble.

Estelle didn't relish her victory and immediately turned to Flynn with the energy she had managed to conserve by not using a large shield. She could no longer see any fresh blood loss, which was a _very _bad sign for a fresh arterial wound.

"Couldn't you have found a way to at least save the core? I'll never get the anima-" Rita began, but froze as she saw Flynn's extremely pale and unmoving body. "O-oh… um… how is he? Will he be ok?"

Estelle shook her head quietly. "Probably not," then began a constant channel of healing energy in an attempt to restore the damaged anatomy.

Behind them, Nan stared at the remains of the colossus in disbelief.

* * *

Yuri locked eyes with the coming assassin. He was unsure if the following cry of rage came from himself, Sodia, or Hisca.

He was vaguely aware of more knights being felled by arrows by the unknown assailant, and the ones that panicked and tried to run were being cut down by an enraged Sodia and Hisca. Those that didn't had desperately scrambled for cover. Some had even thrown themselves into the water in hopes of being to swim away. Given that they were wearing plate mail and that the water was rather deep, they soon found out that doing so wasn't a very good idea.

But right now, he didn't care about any of that.

The red-eye had killed Flynn. Somehow, he would pay.

He knew he should have been afraid, but he wasn't. All that mattered is that he found a way to hurt this masked person as much as humanly possible.

His hand had found another Aer sphere, this time containing the 'explode' arte. If it was good enough to blow a hole in a several-feet thick wall of solid concrete, it would be good enough to blow up one single man.

Now, all the remaining obstacles were the remaining knights in front of him

"Get the hell out of my way!" he cried, and from deep within his reserves he felt his overlimit reactivating. The outgoing shockwave of Aer blew the knights closest to him away, and then there was nothing stopping him.

He was already past the knights when Sodia cried for him to not go alone.

But she was injured, Hisca was exhausted and Karol wouldn't be fast enough. He knew it had to be him who dealt with this.

And then they met.

Raven, who had been lazily picking off the tightly packed knights one by one for the last minute or so, suddenly bolted upright.

"Oh, no-no, don't do it, kid! Go back, go back!" he said aloud, instantly refocusing his aim towards the assassin.

"Damn it, a least have the common sense to run back 'till his overlimit runs out, ya hear! Does this ol' man have ta spell out everything for ya!"

And he let lose a single shot...

... which missed. Garrote was obviously aware that he had been shooting the knights and was alternating his movement pattern just in case he was the next target. It also didn't help that in his overlimit, he was ridiculously fast in the first place.

Raven swallowed nervously and reached for his quiver, which, to his surprise, contained only two more arrows.

But it was too late to aim; they had already begun their fight.

"Well, that's a dead prince. I guess I tried , at least," Raven commented, after which he drank his bottle empty.

* * *

Yuri saw the assassin disappear like he had done with Flynn, and he had already begun his dodge to the side at the first sign of the man's form fading. Yet he was still knocked further away and incurred a cut over the chest as he felt the assassin's form slide right by him.

_'H-how can someone move that quickly? Is that even normal movement!'_

He forced himself back up his feet through the pain, and was just in time to see the incoming stabbing motion from the red-eye right in front of him. All he could do was form an awkward azure edge to the side, which gave him enough momentum to dodge to the side quickly enough to turn the stab aimed for his heart into a glancing cut over his thigh. He continued the dodge into a sideways roll and pushed himself up from the ground and onto his feet with his hand.

"So overconfident and reckless," the red-eye stated, and the next moment he had a throwing knife in his hand.

Yuri's first instinct was to immediately throw the explode sphere and let the explosion sort out the rest, but then he realized that he had overlooked something critical: The man had the aqua blastia on him somewhere, most likely in the backpack he carried on his back. If he got lucky and managed to hit him with the sphere, blowing him up would almost certainly destroy the blastia as well.

He threw out an azure edge to meet the projectile, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do to both defeat this guy _and _get the blastia from him undamaged. But then he noticed Repede sneak up behind the guy...

_'Right, if I can only keep him-' _

His thoughts were cut short as the assassin suddenly appeared in front of him, and Yuri knew he was too late. No matter how fast he was in trying to parry or dodge the following attacks, he was unable to prevent the eventual stab he received in the abdomen.

Pain consumed the world and Yuri's vision narrowed to the coming thrust of the man's second blade, which would doubtlessly finish him.

_'Damn it! I can't die yet! Ioder... Estelle...'_

But just as the assassin made the notion for the finishing attack, he suddenly went still, as if he hesitated.

Yuri didn't waste any time and forced his body to move despite his injuries.

He threw one last blast of Aer which blew the man back far enough to at least not be in the immediate striking distance of his short blades, and then he made a follow-up slash. As he did, he noticed that the man had been shot through the chest with an arrow, and that the red-eye watched it in a momentary stupor as if he couldn't quite believe that had actually happened.

Even though the red-eye recovered quickly enough to partially parry the attack aimed for his shoulder, he couldn't prevent Yuri from cutting the leather strap to his backpack and making it fall to the ground.

"Re...Repede! Now!" Yuri cried with difficulty.

* GROWL!*

"Ghn!" the assassin started, turning around to face Repede...

... just in time to see the dog run off with the bag.

_'One last chance!' _Yuri thought, and threw the 'explode' sphere at the dazed man with as much force as he could, letting himself fall backward as he did.

Yuri was just able to make out the widening of the man's eyes widen before the massive fireball consumed his entire field of vision. A blistering wave of heat and force washed over him and threw his prone body roughly into the wall behind him.

There was an inhuman scream... and then there was complete silence.

Yuri felt the rush of Aer leave him as he lay there, and the pain he had felt from the wounds intensified. He barely managed to open his eyes to scan the room one final time, and noticed that there was no trace of the assassin.

Even as he lost consciousness, he grinned.

* * *

Nan overlooked the scene in front of her.

The colossus was a pile of rubble. Most of the knights were dead, either by drowning, being shot or being cut down in the melee, and the few who had survived were being kept in check by Rita. There had been no sign of the assassin after his silhouette had disappeared in a sea of flame, but the lack of a body made Nan think that they hadn't seen the last of him.

Perhaps she should have been glad; they had come out ahead while being severely outnumbered and had even forced the infamous red-eye Garrote to retreat.

...but the price had been high. Very high.

It seemed that at least three of the royal guards posted outside had been killed by the initial attack of the knights, with the fate of two others unknown. Sodia had been injured and was having trouble using one of her hands well, and one of the healers was crying over the body of her sister after it had been hauled out of the water.

Next to that, the life of the knight named Flynn was hanging in the balance despite Estelle putting an incredible effort into keeping him alive. Every minute that went by, the healer's overall exhaustion became more apparent. Sodia stood by her to jump in and take over on a moment's notice, but Nan knew that her gift for healing wasn't as developed as Estelle's. In short, it wasn't looking good for him.

But most importantly, the prince himself had been critically injured. His body lay still against a wall with his dog-like companion laying right next to him. The latter of which was constantly scouting the environment while holding some sort of bag clutched tightly in his mouth. While Sodia had said that Yuri's condition was stable following some emergency treatment, it almost didn't make a difference to her.

She had failed her Boss's orders. No, worse than that, she hadn't even been able to make an important contribution to the fight she had kept herself involved in by not holding to her orders, since it had been Estelle that had actually defeated the colossus, not her.

Ironically, in the end, she had been outdone by Karol, while she was supposed to be a prodigy and he was a failure that had been kicked out of numerous guilds before joining hers. Sure, he had apparently failed to notice the approaching knights, had allowed himself to be captured _and_ he had a far better position in the fight to actually help the prince. But those were just empty excuses; looking at it objectively, he had done more to directly help Yuri than her when it really mattered. The realization of it somehow stung the most throughout the feeling of massive failure that consumed her mind.

She had been outdone by Karol. She couldn't think of a larger humiliation for a hunting blade.

She closed her eyes and tried to fight the feeling of distress, but she couldn't. Images of Karol's disastrous test came unbidden, and it added insult to injury to know that it was only due to _him _that she had gotten involved in this mess in the first place...

* * *

They had seemed harmless at first; three travellers, one man, one woman, and their dog. The entire scene was unremarkable; they had made a small fire while the woman patiently explained the man how to cook something. The only odd thing about them was their presence here, since superstition regarding these forests was supposed to run rampart throughout the imperial citizens.

As she watched them, she was reminded of a rumour regarding all male imperial citizens being completely useless in some way, one that she overheard older female Guild members talk about from time to time and which was supposed to be funny. While she had been told that she would have understood the meaning of it better when she got older, she felt reasonably sure she understood now; they were obviously all terrible chefs, and if they couldn't even cook properly, what _were _they good for, anyway?

Regardless, she had considered them to not be a threat, and had gone back to Clint, her Boss, Tyson, another older and more experienced Hunting Blade, and finally Karol, whom they were watching as he was expected to hunt down an eggbear in the Quoi woods.

So far, Karol had missed twelve out of the thirteen signs of their presence of which she was sure the others would have noticed them as well. Frankly, she wasn't even sure why Clint was still giving the failure a chance, but he had just stood by with his arms crossed, waiting patiently as if for some sudden reversal of fortune... one that would change their seemingly inevitable decision of expelling the boy from their Guild.

They had continued along the path towards the clearing that contained the travellers when there was suddenly an eggbear feather lying directly in the middle of the path, complete with a fresh footprint more to the side of the path, partially concealed beneath a brush.

... and Karol walked right by it, all the while nervously scanning the environment as he had done all the time. Or he would have, at least, if Clint hadn't stopped moving right before he did.

"Karol," he said. "What is your opinion? We have been walking over a number of paths in this forest for about an hour now; do you think we have gotten any closer to finding an actual eggbear?"

The young Hunting Blade scratched his hair nervously. "Um, well, there was this dropping from one a few paths ago..."

Ironically, he was practically standing on the eggbear feather.

"Yes," Clint agreed, "Something that Nan was kind enough to point out to us. But we are not here to test _her_, are we?"

"N-No, Boss. Sorry."

The physically intimidating leader of the hunting blades nodded calmly. "Have _you _discovered any further tracks or clues? Do we think we are at least in the right area? And if so, why?"

Nan wouldn't have been surprised if an eggbear suddenly jumped right out of the foliage with the amount of dead giveaways they had seen.

"Uh, um... well, I haven't found anything else, so maybe we should try a different part of the forest?" Karol replied, obviously unsure.

There was an angry grunt from Tyson. "Boss, we are wasting time! There are so many monsters here and you're willing to-"

Clint held up his hand, instantly silencing him. "You say we should try a different part of the forest," he repeated towards Karol. "All right. Then where should we go? As a Hunting Blade, you are expected to make decisions like this when finding a prey proves difficult. Where do you have a larger chance of finding eggbears?"

"Try page 42 of the Hunter's manual," Nan muttered, even though she fully expected it to be in vain.

"Let's see, page 42... Oh I remember! Um... or was it... no, not underwater, those are eggsharks. Hmmm... ah, I got it! They prefer to nest in caves!" Karol concluded, somewhat surprising Nan by actually knowing something, even if it didn't come out very smoothly.

The Hunting Blade leader nodded again. "In a Cave. That is correct."

He looked at Karol expectantly.

"Oh, right! We should go to a cave! Hmmm, but where..."

"There is a clearing nearby with a large tree in it. Maybe climbing it will help you think of where to go," Nan said, even though she probably wasn't supposed to. She was just bored and wanted to get the whole thing over with so she could hunt some exotic monsters herself. "There's some travelers there, but they don't seem like a threat."

"That sounds like good advice, Karol; you should act on it," Clint commented.

But when they reached the clearing, Nan found her initial assessment of the travellers not being a threat was somewhat off. Both humans had procured swords from somewhere and were locked in a duel which showcased an amount of skill obviously beyond that of two simple commoners... even if the man was beaten rather shortly after they had come into view.

The situation took an unexpected turn as Clint uttered a single word.

"Lowell."

It had been loud enough for both of the combatants to hear as well, and they whirled around in shock.

"What? I think you've got the wrong guy; my name is-" the man began.

"You are Yuri Lowell, son of the late lord Lowell, hero of the Guild unification war," Clint stated tensely, after which he drew his massive sword. That by itself was enough for all other present Guild members to immediately draw their own weapons, after which the dog also rose and growled threateningly.

"Wait! We're just passing through these woods; we don't want to fight you! We're sorry if we're trespassing; we didn't know!" the woman said.

"I had not expected to find such a prey in a place like this," Clint mused, ignoring her, after which he advanced slowly. Tyson walked forward with him while Nan stayed behind with Karol, unsure of what to do. By now, all of them were in fighting stances.

"I'm not your prey, and I'm pretty sure I don't know you," Lowell countered. "Can you _please _just let us pass? We've got enough trouble as it is."

"You wouldn't, but I know you. Your resemblance to your father is unmistakable. I will never forget the fights we've had," her Boss answered, after which he pointed his sword forward. "I would ask you for a duel, but I can already see that you are not on your father's level. It would be dishonourable towards him to strike you down."

Then he suddenly relaxed, at least as far as she had ever seen her boss relax. "So perhaps you can tell me what a prince is doing in the middle of nowhere, instead. Is this a noble's idea of a romantic break from castle life?" he asked in a faintly amused tone, and the tension which had just been about to erupt dropped rapidly.

_"Prince Yuri Lowell? Really? One of the supposed arch-enemies of the guilds?" _Nan wondered blankly. _"Isn't he supposed to be dangerous? ...He can't even cook properly..."_

Lowell and the woman exchanged a quick glance. "All right, I'll tell you if you give your word as an honorable guildsman that none of you will attack us," he said, changing his tone to a slightly more relaxed one.

Her boss nodded. "That is acceptable. My name is Clint and I lead the Hunting Blades. You have my word that we will not fight you, so long as you tell me the whole truth. I will know if you lie."

Even as they exchanged information regarding the state of the empire and the guilds, Nan's head spun with details of multiple groups inside it fighting each other.

"I see. That is indeed dire news," Clint finally concluded. "Your cousin was kidnapped and you believe that a splinter group inside the empire is behind it."

"I'd wish it were only a splinter group. I believe Alexei's hold over the army makes him the actual main faction in charge nowadays," Yuri clarified. "Then there's this group of assassin's with him..."

"The red-eyes. I know of them."

"Can you tell me more about them? Are they representatives of the Guilds? Did the Don pick Alexei's side in this?"

Clint was silent for a moment. "You are assuming Alexei is behind it without proof. But no, I don't believe that would be so. Sending assassins isn't like the Don. And he and Alexei were never on friendly terms."

Nan watched her boss turn away from Lowell and met his gaze. "You have a noble goal, Lowell. While I don't care much for the state of the empire, I will make a deal with you. I will do so out of respect for an old adversary," he said.

He pointed his sword towards the prince again. "In one year, you will seek me out and duel me. It will be a fight to the death between warriors. If you agree to this, I will send you aid on this journey."

The prince blinked.

"Wait, Yuri! You can't do this; are you going to trust your safety to a bunch of strangers in return for _that_? This is a very bad idea," the woman next to him said. "We've already told them too much, and we can manage fine by ourselves."

"So far, yes, but I don't know how much enemies I'll have to go through to get Ioder back," Lowell replied, before turning back to her boss. "And they seem... trustworthy. All right, I will accept your deal."

Clint nodded. "Karol, you will accompany Lowell for as long as needed. You will use this time to study the monsters you will encounter. It will be a second chance at your initiation test."

"Eh, So... does that mean I don't have to find an eggbear?" Karol asked hopefully.

Nan inwardly let out a sigh of relief; they'd finally be rid of the failure for at least a few weeks, maybe forever.

But her boss wasn't quite finished yet. "And Nan, you will go as well. You will keep Lowell safe and watch over Karol's progress."

"What? No! I'm not going; I won't be able to do any hunting!" It was the first time she had directly rebelled against her boss's orders, but it was out before she knew it.

"Nan," Clint began, his tone stern. "You are a skilled huntress, skilled far beyond your years. But you lack insight into things other than hunting. This is an opportunity for you to learn, one that you should take."

She wanted to find words to counter her Boss's, but with the way he towered over her...

"It is settled, then," Clint finished after a few seconds of silence. "Tyson, we will continue the hunt and return north. And Nan? You will show Karol where to find an eggbear before you move on. Oh, and bring a hatchling for him."

* * *

_"You will keep Lowell safe and watch over Karol's progress," _Clint's words echoed as she watched Lowell's unconscious form. She had utterly failed, no matter how she looked at it.

"Nan?" Karol asked from the side.

"Huh?" she replied, after which she realized she hadn't been paying much attention to her surroundings. It only added to her irritation.

"Are you all right? Why are you crying? You're not hurt, are you!" he asked, concerned.

She had been about to scold him for everything he had done wrong when she got a good look at him from up-close. He was so covered in blood and had so many cuts over his clothing that she couldn't find it in herself to do so. He looked far too... _lost_ for her to be angry at him.

"No, no, I'm fine," she answered, forcing herself to calm down. _'I hate you, but I'm fine,'_ she thought. "And I'm _not_ crying!"

"O-oh, right, sure you're not. I guess I'm just seeing things," he nervously answered while backing away.

"Wait... before you go, Karol? You did well. It was... fitting for a Hunting Blade," she added, looking away.

"Really? Do you really mean that?" he replied, suddenly enthusiastic.

She nodded. "I'll tell the boss when we get back. But there's something I don't understand..."

_'Where you completely blind by letting yourself get ambushed like that! And why weren't you hurt when you came in? Did you just surrender right away?' _came some thoughts, but she ignored them.

"Why didn't any of you run into the ruins when you were attacked?" the female Hunting Blade asked.

"Maybe little ol' me can answer that," came another voice from behind her.

She whirled around to see who she had been expecting; it was the purple-clad old man with the bow, who was standing in the shade of a pillar and was mostly obscured from view. Somehow he had again managed to sneak up on her. Ugh, was she really losing her edge?

"Oh, old man, eh, I mean, Raven," Nan began. "Where were you? Why didn't you come out of hiding when we called for you?"

"Huh? Aren't you that man from the bar who got punched by Flynn? Do you know him, Nan?" Karol asked, confused.

"He gave me the warning about the knights and the assassin back in Halure," Nan admitted. "But I don't really know him, no. I don't understand why he's helping us, either."

"Listen kids, my time is sadly brief, so tell me; it had ter do with blastia, right? That's why you couldn't run."

Karol's eyes widened. "Th-that's right! There was this invisible wall blocking the entrance and they came with horses and we couldn't... Wait a minute. If you know that, then you must be in league with them!" he concluded, reaching for his sword in anger.

"Now now, kid, is that any way to thank ol' Raven for saving you, hmmm?" the man replied lazily.

"It _is_ pretty suspicious, yes," Nan pointed out.

"Not you too, Nan darlin'? Sigh, younglings these days... all right, all right. There's this blastia researcher in Aspio that's been havin' some shady deals with the knights. A brilliant and morally bankrupt guy, dangerous an' all," Raven explained. "It's also why our friend in the blue dress was able to move around like he was. If I were ta give some advice to our royal friend when he wakes up, maybe you should tell him to investigate this guy named Garista?"

"But if that's true, then why don't you come with us and tell him yourself?" she asked, confused. "You've already helped us just now!"

The man muttered something under his breath, which sounded oddly like 'There's not enough women here who could shower their saviour with love right now.' Of course that couldn't be, as it made no sense to Nan at all.

"No, I've got stuff ter do. Keep an eye on the prince for the guilds, all right?" the man answered afterwards.

"Nan? Karol? Who are you talking to? Did you find that archer that helped us?" Sodia asked from behind.

But when Karol and Nan turned around again, the man was gone.

She really was losing her edge.

* * *

Chapter design notes:

-Well, that fight took a lot more pages than I thought it would, but I think it turned out well?

-Yuri has obviously gotten stronger since the start of the story, but has a bit of a long way to go to actually be on the level of some other party members. Thus, he couldn't have beaten Garrotte by himself without a lot of help. His anger made him take a rash decision.

-I find Raven pretty hard to write. He's a very deep character when you look past the comic relief side of him, especially since he has affiliations to multiple factions. And then he's also kind of random at times... and his speech is a bit hard to duplicate. I wonder if people think he was portrayed well.

-Nan finally gets her flashback to why she is here in the first place. I couldn't find a better spot to put it than there, and even if it feels a bit like a random insertion (to me, at least), I felt that It had to be explained.

-I always figured Clint was a man of few words (and who also doesn't say that much in the game). It doesn't match too well with a scene based mostly on him, but this is more or less how I pictured him; Overall a strong-willed leader, stern but fair.

-If I have to be brutally honest about it, I personally do not like Karol that much, even if I try not to show it (or maybe I do? I can't judge objectively). Originally I was very tempted to have him die in this chapter, but I eventually decided that personal dislike for a character was a bit of a flimsy reason to do so.

Why do I dislike him? I just... dislike the personality-type. His character is based around being scared and a coward, and in cutscenes he usually comes across as (one of ) the least skilled and dependable party-members. His redeeming features, I guess, are insight into the Guilds and some knowledge regarding monsters and remedies, and having lockpicking as a skill. Oh, and comic relief. Unfortunately, I already have an lockpick expert (Yuri) and someone else with a higher level of skill and knowledge (Nan), so it's hard to find a niche for him in this party.

Overall, he reminds me a bit of a character in a book I read recently, where he can be compared to the female main character, whose only roles were to be the main character's love interest, be completely useless/a coward in all fights and to get raped once for shock value. Personally those types irritate me as a reader and I'd never write them myself If I had the choice.

-Please review and let me know what you think? :) Or even if you agree with everything, words of encouragement are always appreciated.

-kind regards,

Dieuwtjin


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